Codesmith

Codesmith

About

About

Codesmith offers a full-time, 12-week full stack software engineering bootcamp in Los Angeles and New York City. Codesmith is a selective, need-blind program focusing largely on computer science and full-stack JavaScript, with an emphasis on technologies like React, Redux, Node, build tools, Dev Ops and machine learning. This program enables Codesmith students (known as Residents) to build open-source projects, with the aim of moving into positions as skilled software engineers. Codesmith Residents become engineers, not technicians, through a deep understanding of advanced JavaScript practices, fundamental computer science concepts (such as algorithms and data structures), and object-oriented and functional programming. Codesmith helps residents develop strong problem-solving abilities and technical communication skills – valued capacities in a software engineer.

The Codesmith admissions process involves a written application with optional coding questions, a nontechnical interview, and a technical interview. Codesmith offers a number of free resources for preparing for the admissions process including in-person and online coding workshops, a 2-week online prep course (CS Prep), and an online JavaScript learning platform (CSX).

Codesmith offers an extensive hiring support program that guides Residents through whiteboarding, advanced technical interview practice, resume and profile development, and interview and networking strategies. Support continues upon graduation with bi-weekly check-ins and, after offers, negotiation support. Overall, 25% of graduates receive offers for Senior Engineer positions and above, and about 70% receive offers for Mid-level Engineer roles.

Courses

Courses

CS Prep - Live Online

CS Prep is a structured program that teaches core JavaScript concepts and engineering best practices. CS Prep will help you develop a deep, yet intuitive understanding of JavaScript and prepare you for your Codesmith technical interview or for interviews for other software engineering roles. Live Online is a 2-week remote course that includes live online instruction, daily problem-solving workshops, office hours with engineering mentors, and extensive technical interview practice.

Financing

Deposit

No deposit

Financing

We offer tuition payment plans and many scholarships for the course.

Tuition Plans

We offer case by case payment plans, please reach out to csprep@codesmith.io with questions!

Refund / Guarantee

If you pass the CS Prep assessment you are guaranteed a technical interview with our full time Codesmith Program.
Refunds for the course are available and distributed on a case by case basis.

Scholarship

We offer multiple scholarships to CS Prep, with many students paying no tuition at all. You can apply for the women in software engineering scholarship, Dean's scholarship, or minorities in tech scholarship.

Getting in

Minimum Skill Level

Suitable for beginners who are ready to level up to intermediate and advanced material.

Prep Work

We recommend some familiarity with the content in the Precourse Unit on CSX - our free online learning platform - https://csx.codesmith.io/.

JavaScript - The Hard Parts: Codesmith Prep

Over 90% of Codesmith students attend JavaScript the Hard Parts in preparation for the Codesmith technical interview. In JavaScript the Hard Parts, Codesmith Engineers cover callbacks, higher-order functions (functional programming with JavaScript), object-oriented programming with JavaScript, closure, scope and execution context.
The reason people who only watch programming videos don't become programmers is because they're not programming. JS the Hard Parts provides a space to build with fellow learners, immerse yourself in the Codesmith community, and learn the key concepts that Codesmith students need to know before beginning the immersive 12 week program.

We have financing partnerships available as well as case by case payment plans! Please email hello@codesmith.io with questions.

Refund / Guarantee

Refunds are distributed on a case by case basis but are available.

Scholarship

Codesmith offers 4 types of scholarships -those to students underrepresented in the technology community, women in software engineering scholarship, Dean's scholarships, as well as scholarships to prior bootcamp grads.

Let's talk about transforming yourself. You very well may be at the initial steps I was only a few short months ago. What's in consideration is an arena of challenge, unfamiliarity, and creativity.

I wince from the urge to say the word 'given' when referring to Codesmith. It isn't a word that is necessarily bad. Yet it draws unnecessary focus and doesn't reflect what you ultimately gain from such an experience. Nonetheless I will start with what Codesmith does in fact "provide".

1) An intensive multidimensional curriculum

2) Exceptional professional advice

3) Career support and networking

The underlying brilliance of Codesmith however is missed in this simple list. Codesmith more so than any other verb cultivates marvelous things in the individuals who attend the program. This is of course because the Codesmith environment and community is ingrained with an altruistic spirit to propel others.

If you were in search of a big reveal in to why Codesmith is a superb choice - this is it. In the field of accelerated learning Codesmith reaches the greatest of heights by living the words "We are all excellent, and we will grow to be more excellent." It is a beautiful thing.

Codesmith brings its residents in as family. This is an enormous backbone of support you may never see outside of your very own family. As it must, the program unleashes the gamut of web and software development obstacles. This is never an exciting part when I am talking about Codesmith. I am of the believe that the spoken material can be learned quite isolated with only the right handful of books. Torturous yet possible. What develops as you grind unit by unit is ability of course. As you take in your surroundings you realize the community is at your finger tips. When you stumble then stumble and your ready to not take another thrust up you are brought up by your cohort mates. Finally, when you have seen so much of the process that looking back you see the pattern of challenge, resilience, and accomplishment you realize a tremendous confidence.

Codesmith is a great whirlwind. I have probably not given justice to what I truly believe it is. Though what I know it is not is a magic door to success. Be prepared to join something that deserves your all if you attend Codesmith. It is a place that you should make the most of and that will be so many levels past the industry curriculum.

I don't know where I'd be if I had chosen to attend any other bootcamp instead of Codesmith. As a recent grauduate from UCSB with a Financial Math and Stats major, I was unsure of my future as I began having second doubts of my career that I had selected. Codesmith took my interest in coding and turned it into a passion to learn more about the technology that is affecting our world today. In such a rigorous yet rewarding course, I've constantly been challenged to improve myself in critical areas, technical and non-technical. From tackling problems with the right mindset to the ability to communicate clearly to colleagues, I consider every skill I've picked up critical to to myself and the future of my career.

Getting into Codesmith isn't easy, and it doesn't better once you get in. However, with such a careful selection process of cohort members and supportive staff, I found myself so immersed in my work that I didn't mind staying longer than regular hours. It'd be a mistake not to consider Codesmith.

This program is parallel to none. I went to undergrad at Berkeley, and my three months at Codesmith was more academically rigorous than any semester during college. But there is a great deal of support. The instructors, TAs, and fellow students all put in the extra hours to support each other and make this place feel like home.

I had another friend who went to a different coding school in the same city two years ago, and he's been working as an engineer in industry since. I'll be commanding a higher salary than him upon my graduaduation here from Codesmith.

To me, CodeSmith can best be described as an accelerator. If you're a self-driven learner, CodeSmith will challenge you with a very intense and in depth JavaScript based Computer Science curriculum. Every day, you'll be pair programming with a group of like-minded students and pushed to explain your thinking and build up your technical communication skills.

By the end of the experience, you will have multiple projects in your portfolio and feel confident going out to the search for a mid-level or senior-level software engineering role. More than teaching you Node.js, React and Redux - Codesmith teaches you how to tackle and conquer any new technology.

While the computer science education is fantastic, perhaps the greatest value CodeSmith provides is its rich career development program. The insights you get from the founders of Codesmith - who teach the career development curriculum themselves - is worth the price of tuition alone.

Codesmith is probably one of the top 3 bootcamps in the US. I was skeptical about their average starting salary report, but now that I've graduated and begun my job search, I definitely believe it. The way that you talk about technologies and the level of code you write when you leave is really impressive.

I initially became interested in Codesmith because I was really impressed with their curriculum. After researching and attending an in-person workshop at both Codesmith and another Los Angeles bootcamp, I was pretty sure Codesmith was the best program in Southern California. I highly advise attending free workshops at whatever camp you’re considering! I attended a Codesmith JavaScript Hard Parts (JSHP) Meetup and was very impressed at the level of detail they went into how JS works under the hood. My mind was left reeling, trying to understand the single thread of execution going through the code, how execution contexts were being popped on and off the call stack, how closure worked due to JavaScript’s lexical scope, etc. I also saw that some residents were actually C.S. grads! So I knew that Codesmith was pretty technical and probably had a decent filter for admits. When I joined, a number of my cohort-mates were actually bootcamp grads from other bootcamps! Codesmith was their 2nd bootcamp. :O

About the culture/people: there were definitely times I felt our cohort was warm and fuzzy and supportive. Each cohort is very different, but they do a good job of picking the right people and building an inclusive, collaborative culture. They also support women/minorities in tech and educate about imposter syndrome and gender/race biases, with the hopes that we as future senior-level engineers can be cognizant about these issues. Thumbs up.

That said, I don't think Codesmith is necessarily for everyone - there is a high degree of autonomy in the last 6 weeks, and you have to be strict with yourself. In the first 6 weeks, the curriculum also moves quickly in 2 day units. The instruction is excellent and I think the curriculum is extremely well thought-out, but since you only get three 1-hr lectures for each unit, you must challenge yourself. You learn to read documentation and problem solve aloud via pair programming. This mirrors real-life and sets you up for future situations in work. For future improvement, I did wish they enforced punishments as it'd be good motivation! I also wish they provided a teeny bit more guidance as we struggled through the challenges haha~ but the on-site fellows were amazing and often nudged us in the right direction whenever we needed help.

The hiring lectures and job preparation/resumes were phenomenal. The advice they give you is gold, and it's quite a transformative process when you look back at what you were like before. You make back your monies in those workshops right there.

I don't think you'll regret it - it's a worthy investment in your own future. Just attend a JSHP and check it out for yourself! :)

I was going nowhere, not even fast. I was going nowhere slowly. I was making 30k, with no room for career advancement.
Then, I came to Codesmith. I just accepted a 100k+ offer as a Software Engineer. Trust the process. This is real.

The market needs what Codesmith helps you become.

I researched 4-year universities, I researched grad programs, I researched AA degrees, and I researched bootcamps. Then I found Codesmith, which is none of those things. Codesmith is indeed a resisdency, which asks more of you than a bootcamp and offers more to you than any other program.

Personally, I have a 4 year degree. I had it prior to Codesmith, yet I was never challenged to work as hard as I was during my time at Codesmith. I was never put into a box a Codesmith, the way I was at my university.

Codesmith is not making cookie-cutter repeat devs, Codesmith is looking to help you identify your personal strengths/interests and bulid them into a marketable skill set. Codesmith is looking to evolve you. Every graduate who comes from Codesmith is great in their own way, powered by their own strengths, and moving forward by the strength of their own legs.

They do so by challenging you to accomplish impossible tasks, or at least tasks which seem impossible...until you find yourself completing them.

Over and over again you will surpass what you thought you were capable of understanding. Over and over again, you will discover knowledge which was earned through problem solving. Over and over again, you will find yourself lifted by an amazing community.

You will struggle. You will get stuck. You will feel like you can't do it.

However, Codesmith and the community of learners on the journey with you will do literally everything they are capable of doing to help you along the way.

This place wants you to succeed, wants to help you succeed...the only question you have to ask yourself is, "Am I ready to succeed?"

"Transformative." "Easily worth the investment." "Unlike anything I have or will have ever done in the best possible way."

Believe me... I was sitting in your position just months ago reading through the reviews and contemplating which one of these software engineering immersion programs was a fit for me, if at all.

Do this instead: Attend a JavaScript: Easy Parts then a Hard Parts Workshop (cost: always free) this upcoming week. Then go back again over and over.

Why?

No one goes into as much depth about the intricacies of how JavaScript works, especially with respect to asynchronous features, the event loop, and the microtask queue. You will learn so much from the Codesmith faculty as well as from your peers, because pair-programming is a huge part of it.

Still lost? Don't worry, I was too. But believe me, the effort this place puts in guiding you through the core pillars of software engineering is one-of-a-kind.

Now onto the program. It's phenomenal in every sense of the word. Bright engineers from the residents you'll be building amazing open source projects with, the stellar fellows who will stay late in the night to help you debug, to the instructors who have an incredible track record of molding you into the model mid-level / senior engineer you will soon become.

So again. If you're thinking about heading down this route, do yourself a favor and attend a workshop. You've got nothing to lose.

Codesmith has been one of the most challenging but rewarding experiences I have ever encountered.

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The level of this curriculum far surpasses the rigor and standard of any educational curriculum I have experienced. Even as a Neurosci graduate of the number 1 ranked public school in the US, I found this core curriculum more challenging and more intensive than the premedical courses I was taking back then.

There definitely is very little hand-holding that occurs in this curriculum because of course, if you are to accelerate your career in a matter of three months (+some preparation prior to Codesmith) and learn everything you need to truly become a software engineer, you have to truly push yourself and get beyond just the typical Javascript knowledge bestowed upon normal graduates. However, while hand-holding is not part of the curriculum, there is a huge support system among your classmates as well as the staff who will help you out if you ever feel like you are drowning. The support from the staff is truly incredible and will truly help you out if you are ever in dire need. They are always monitoring your progress throughout the curriculum and will make sure you are getting what you desire from the program.

While the curriculum can be quite difficult, what you get out if is a true insight into what a software engineering life is like:

To be constantly presented with a large number of technologies but learning to become comfortable with the unknown

To not be overwhelmed by the sheer amount of knowledge because you develop the confidence of diving deep into a technology you have no idea about

To break down any overwhelmingly difficult code, documentation or challenge one by one showing you that you are capable.

What you get from Codesmith is really just another level. I honestly came into Codesmith expecting just a curriculum where I would breeze through (because I studied Javascript for an entire year before coming here) and learn this/that technology, but...definitely not. The level of learning that I was doing on a self-study basis was nowhere near the immersive, intensive studies that Codesmith gets you on.

I really wish I could talk to anyone reading this, in person, on how real the outcomes this program is producing because it really is a hidden gem. To convince whoever is on the fence of undertaking this thing to give it a real chance and avoid the biases of a “coding bootcamp”. This organization is just way way better than that, but just seriously don’t knock it until you try it.

I can honestly say that the amount of improvement I've seen in my development journey has increased dramatically as a direct result of the supportive, and encouraging community at Codesmith. I went from someone who could just copy + paste code while following video tutorials, to be able to create fullstack web applications with ease. The best part about Codesmith is the community, the amount of attention they give to the students are insane.

If you come here, you will be put into the most intensive, stressful, wonderful, and fun time you will ever have in your coding journey. It will all have been worth it when you realize how far you've come, how many amazing people you've met, and how much you can do when you just push yourself.

Cs prep helped strengthen the weaker areas and gaps in my software engineering knowledge and helped me feel more confident in applying for the full-time Codesmith program. The instructor did a fantastic job of covering each topic in a way that was engaging and inspiring. He also was open to answering questions and made sure that some of the more challenging concepts were understood at a foundational level. This was helpful because the people within my cohort all varied in their level of experience. Cs prep also put a strong emphasis on pair programming as a learning tool and I couldn't agree more with how beneficial it has been to my overall growth. The program ends with the building and presentation of a group project. During this time, you get the opportunity to apply what you learned to something more tangible and although it is challenging, it is really nice to see it all come together in the end into something you and you group can feel proud of. I would definitely recommend Cs prep to those who are serious about applying to Codesmith but are still on the fence about their technical communication and foundational software engineering skills. I am happy to say that after I attended cs prep I got accepted into the December 17 cohort and I am really looking forward to all that is to come.

I chose to enroll in CS Prep because I had started to learn to code on my own, but with no prior experience or community of fellow programmers I felt stuck. I was drawn to the part time schedule and short time frame, along with small group size of CS Prep, and the syllabus seemed thorough in covering the fundamentals of Javascript.

I appreciated that there were students of all different experience levels, and the instructor (Ryan) was incredibly encouraging while still pushing everyone to extend their individual knowledge. The class was structured around empathetic learning which helped everyone feel at ease, and encouraged all of us to really care for the learning of others, not just ourselves.

By far the most effective part of the course for me was pair programming. Since I had only learned to program on my own, it was amazing what working with one other person could do for the growth of my learning, and it especially enhanced my technical communication. I think it was important to pair program in the context of this course because we were easily able to check in with the instructor or other classmates if we had questions or clarifications.

I learned so much in two weeks that I decided to take the course again and learned so much more because I had created a solid foundation to build on. I highly recommend this course to anyone who is starting to learn Javascript or needs to brush up on fundamentals.

This review is only for the CS Prep Course but I look forward to reviewing the full immersive. As a person who has completed 3 bootcamp prep courses - including CSPrep - I can honestly say CS Prep had the most advanced curriculum, was the best taught course, and had the best people. I took Fullstack and HackReactor's prep courses before and I'll outline the differences below
FS
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- Too easy, instructor didn't care and just recited from powerpoint slides, students weren't serious and dropped after a few classes

Hackreactor SSP
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- Literally 100 people in a videochat with instructors that can't explain concepts well even though I don't doubt their coding ability. No structure - you're left on your own. The only thing I really got out of it was doing the 150 toy problems which really helped my ability to use array methods but I could have done that myself.

I am glad I went through those 2 first because it really prepared me for CS Prep. CS Prep is NOT for beginners! You learn things that go past beginner javascript like ES6 syntax, execution/callstacks, closure, recursion, HOF, AND Big O Notation, concepts either rarely or never taught in other prep classes. The curriculum was great but the best part was the community. Ryan, our instructor, was one of the most eloquent, funny, and understanding teachers I've ever had the pleasure of learning from. The members were also great and made the learning environment enjoyable where we all helped each other. Even after taking the class, I still keep in contact with the instructor and students who I pair program with as we continue to become software engineers.

Every program has its cons however and I would say the price is one of them. It is way steeper than every other program but it's really for those serious about the full program and so in that case, it is pretty much a free class.
The second thing is the duration. The concepts taught are way too advanced for beginners so either they need to increase the standards to get in or make the classes longer (which I believe they are considering). I got a lot out from it and was able to keep up but I also took 2 other prep courses before. I believe some of my other classmates were struggling toward the end unfortunately.

After 2 years of self-teaching, I stumbled upon Codesmith while going to meetups to fight the isolation of my solo pursuit. As soon as I walked in, I immediately knew it was exactly what needed. I had been to a lot of meetups and often found myself in an awkward in-between space of not being a super beginners or long time engineer. Codesmith was the first place that I felt challenged without being lost. And the community was hands down the most warm and welcoming I experienced in any meetup.

By the end of the program I'd learned way more than I had in the previous 2 years of self-teaching and felt ready to jump into a career as a software engineer. More importantly, I had tons laughs and made lifelong friends. Codesmith truly changed my life and I'm incredibly grateful for my experience there.

It's hard to put the Codesmith experience into words. This whole process is hard, really hard. Getting accepted, the course, and getting a job will all test you but there is no other place I would recommend someone to. As I write this I'm looking at my bags, packed and set for the Caribbean where I'll spend the winter earning a sweet salary, working for a great company and surfing fantastic waves. Here's the thing about other programs and about Codesmith, the proof is in the pudding. These guys know what they're talking about, they've produced the goods over and over again. Make sure to look at the other programs outcome reports and go to Hardparts. Do your research and your decision will be easy. See the staff talk and feel the vibe there, you'll see what everyone is talking about. It's a supportive welcoming community of hard working people. I've been at hiring events with people who've attended other programs and the difference is stark. Trust me, you want the cards in your favor. It's hard, it is and they make it that way on purpose but you'll learn the most valuable lesson there is in engineering, how to learn. And when it's hard you'll find the support you need. The learning curve is steep and the job market for your first tech gig can feel impenetrable. Knowing that your buddy got Google (true story), knowing that your mentors from the program are superstars in their own right and knowing that the answers and support that you need through the process is always there is invaluable. This program changed my life. I'm a better person for what I endured through this process. Buy the ticket, take the ride.

Codesmith was life changing! From the network you build, to the friends/support you meet, to the engineering experience you go through.

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I am a career changer and found Codesmith at a crossroads in my life. At the time, I was thinking if I should position myself for grad school or look into transitioning to tech, and that's when I attended my first JavaScripts the Hard Parts with Will Sentance. Codesmith was so welcoming and supportive that I kept coming back. The more JSHP I attended, the less I wanted to work at the Medical Office was at and decided to stop working in order to study coding full-time. I studied and interviewed and was able to get in the June Cohort. One of the biggest things about Codesmith is it's community. As I was studying, I made more and more friends that were studying and setting the same goals as I was. Some of these friends joined me in the same cohort while attending Codesmith, some started at later dates, but all were supportive.
One of the best aspects of Codesmith, is it's ability to create engineering environments where students are able to experience real life engineering situations to build out projects, collaborate with engineers, practice engineering empathy, and learn how to solve problems. As a developer, running into blocks and being able to withstand and overcome them, is one of the essential keys to succeeding in this field, and Codesmith makes sure to drive this lesson throughout your time in the program.
Everyone I talk to, I tell them Codesmith is a wrap around service, because they not only teach you how to build projects like an engineer, but they teach you how to think like one/learn like one/ and have a work ethic like one.

Everything is earned at Codesmith, It takes a lot of hard work and dedication, so get ready to work.

Codesmith make's sure you're equipped with mindset of an engineer, and then take it a step further by equipping you with interview skills and application strategies. The network you walk away with alone is worth the price of admission. I am fully confident, anyone who fully invests their time and commitment into Codesmith, will leave with a stronger network, engineering experience, and the correct mindset to start their career as a Developer in the tech industry as they graduate. By the end of the program you will leave knowing Codesmith is family. Codesmith positively changed my life for the better, it's only been 10 mos since I started studying full-time, I'm already working post graduation and very excited to see what's in store for my future in Tech.

Just to qualify myself, I graduated from Codesmith and do not work for them. Also, I rarely write reviews unless my experience was exceptional. I have 2 words to describe this experience, Life Changing!

When I started my Codesmith journey, I attended “Javascript the Hard Parts”. Here I met Will Sentence and the Codesmith staff, who where very welcoming. I was absolutely blown away by in-depth, under the hood explanation of the language.

While attending Codesmith, I learned more than I ever thought; let’s say it exceeded my expectations and then some! It’s a lot of work, but their curriculum is designed to help you succeed and have the confidence to be a great engineer. It also taught me how to be more of an autonomous developer and have the ability to push through challenges. They won’t spoon feed you, rather give you the tools to be able to solve problems yourself. You’ll have the ability to dive under the hood and have a deep understanding of the latest, cutting edge technologies. This is part of what separates a junior engineer from a senior.

Not only did I gain the knowledge to be an amazing software engineer, but I gained a community that will be with me for a life-time. Being part of the Codesmith network is the most supportive, encouraging, and powerful group in the developer community.

Once I graduated, the support I got from Codesmith during my job search was unbelievable. They touched base with me every week to see how my job search was going and offered to help in any way. There were times I needed one on one help and I had to go on-site; the staff went above and beyond. Even though you have graduated, the staff is there to help you as if you’re still a student; they care about everyone who walks through those doors. Additionally, I needed some help on my job search approach, and Will called me to create a strategy. Shortly after I got my dream job as a Senior Software Engineer.

Choosing to attend CodeSmith is a choice that I am extremely grateful to myself for making. Let me start of by saying that it is NOT an easy path. Many days are long and arduous, butIS extremely worth it. Going into CodeSmith I was told that it would be difficult but rewarding. You spend upwards of 10+ hours a day there during weekdays and and additional 8+ hours on Saturdays. Throughout your time there you get lectures on the topic that you are going to cover for the next 2 days. Then you work on your own for half a day on beginning to understand the concept that you were just taught and the remainder day and a half with a Pair Programming Partner to help each other cement in said concept. For the second half of the time spent at CodeSmith, you get broken out into teams to work on a project that allows you to dive deep into a topic of your group’s choosing allowing you to more fully develop your ’T’ shaped skills.

Throughout this whole process you have a wonderful support system there to help you out. Not only do you have your peers that are learning right alongside with you to help you out, but you also have the staff (both technical and non-technical) and community of alumni by your side. These amazing people are not going to hold your hand and give you the exact answer that you are looking for but they will give you an answer that will help guide you to the exact answer that you are looking for. Some people may find this as unhelpful and uncaring, but I believe it to be the exact opposite. In life we cannot expect everything to be hand fed to us without really knowing what it is, but instead to expect people to be there to help us understand what we are being fed (I know, probably a weird analogy). But if people just give you the answer to your problem, chances are that you wouldn’t have learned as much as if someone helped you to find the answer out yourself. Plus the feeling of satisfaction one gets from finally figuring out a challenging problem and having that ‘aha’ moment is such a great feeling.

Another important piece of CodeSmith is Pair Programming. Every two days we would be paired with a fellow cohort mate to help each other go through challenges and cement the information that we were just taught. Some really important pieces to this is that everyone learns differently and takes in different pieces of the same information at different rates. By pairing with new people constantly a person could see the same thing that they were looking at but from a different perspective allowing for the broadening of one’s own way of viewing things. Also importantly, is being able to speak out loud what you are thinking/viewing in your own head (technical communication). This is extremely important because it is such a difficult skill to master, yet something that is used everyday in an average workplace. Something that should be practiced all the time even if you don’t have another person to speak your thoughts to, there is the Rubber Ducky approach. It may seem silly but speak out loud to a rubber duck (or any other inanimate object - or a pet if you have one) to work on getting the thoughts out of your head and spoken in an understandable way.

Once completing CodeSmith they don’t just kick you out the door and have you be on your way. Their doors are always open! They really encourage their alumni to drop in and say hi or come by and do any work they may have. There are two checkins that they conduct to see how post-CodeSmith life is going. And additionally, they have started post-CodeSmith interviews. So if your going through your job search and seem to be running into any issues, you can schedule an appointment with CodeSmith to help you do a mock interview, resume review, or some sort of general Q&A to help you move forward. They really love having their alumni be active in helping their current cohorts to succeed.

All of this so far has been about being a part of CodeSmith and in a Cohort. But even before that, CodeSmith offers many avenues of learning to code and preparing people to be a part of CodeSmith if they choose. They have many free workshops that anyone can attend, both in person and online. They also offer shorter courses that aren’t as stringent but still extremely helpful and effective. CodeSmith gives the tools for people to pick up and use.

I personally do not consider myself to be of a Computer Science/Software Engineer background. I got my BA Degree in Criminal Justice. Afterwards I started self studying computer programming and did online courses through a Junior College to get my AA in computer programming. From there I attended many months of CodeSmith’s HardParts every week. This gave me the basis of getting into CodeSmith and they have brought me to where I am today.

Thank you so much to all of the wonderful and amazing people that work at CodeSmith to help people realize and make a reality their dreams to be Software Engineers. You all have helped me so much, way more than I could ever put into words or express to you all. It is such a treat to be able to walk back into CodeSmith and always be welcomed so warmly. Also a huge shoutout to my Cohort!!! You all made everyday a fun and amazing learning environment. I miss you all and proud of everyone that have already gotten amazing jobs and can’t wait to see where everyone else ends up.

A final note to anyone considering CodeSmith and it may seem like a cliche but it is true. You get out of CodeSmith what you put into CodeSmith. It is a journey that you can take from it what you will. For me it is a journey that I would gladly take again.

Unlike other boot camps in which the fear of getting a job at the end creates competition, CodeSmith’s outcomes mean that it is an environment of cooperation.

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COMMUNITY:

Everyone coming to CodeSmith is looking for a change, and this makes for an environment that is unrivaled by any other that I have experienced in my life. By design, CodeSmith is a cooperative experience and cultivates a culture in which everyone is helping each other to succeed, be it the senior cohort providing voluntary lectures to help the juniors or one of your own cohort mates taking time to walk you through when you are stuck. The community that develops is truly inspiring and entirely made up of people I wish to stay in contact with. Unlike other boot camps in which the fear of getting a job at the end creates competition, CodeSmith’s outcomes mean that it is an environment of cooperation. At boot camps where 50% of graduates get a job, there is a need to be in the top half in order to have a chance for a job in the end. However, when the outcomes are high enough the environment changes from being one of competition to one where everyone is trying to lift up those around them as much as possible, creating a group of friends rather than a collection of competing classmates.

Every single person in my cohort provided value, not only to my time at CodeSmith but to my life. I have fond memories of every person I interacted with, and I intend to keep in touch with all of the people that were a part of my CodeSmith experience. The staff also played an important role in shaping my CodeSmith experience, through the warm emails when I was just starting the application process to all of the people that taught. Everyone on the staff is happy to be there and outwardly projects their love to help others succeed. It is not the cold cookie cutter environment that many boot camps have become, but one driven by people who want to see a wonderful change in the life of everyone who comes through. The personal touch here really does a lot in creating an environment where you feel great about putting your time.

I am not a fellow, but the idea thrown around in reviews that reviews by fellows somehow don’t count is misleading. Becoming a fellow is a way for CodeSmith graduates to give back to a community that has already given them so much. Reviews left by fellows show those that are truly dedicated to the CodeSmith community, willing to give so much back to the community that they truly love. However not being a fellow doesn’t mean I love that community any less, I can honestly say that coming to CodeSmith was one of the best decisions of my life.

LEARNING ENVIRONMENT:

The great community isn’t the only part of CodeSmith that sets it apart from the others. CodeSmith also shows a dedication to understanding that isn’t seen at colleges, let alone other boot camps. They provide in-depth explanations of the way the Javascript and the libraries that you learn work, rather than the typical explanation that only provides how to use it. It is this dedication to teaching how they work, rather than just the how to use them that drew me to CodeSmith and it is the reason that I will always recommend CodeSmith to others. CodeSmith is the learning environment that I had been looking for my entire life, and as is repeated at CodeSmith all the time they aren’t trying to teach you, rather their goal is to teach you to effectively teach yourself. Of all the multitude of skills that one must learn to become a programmer, none will carry you further than the ability to effectively teach yourself as the technologies that you work with will change it is important to be able to quickly pick up new technology.

Another major focus of CodeSmith is technical communication. Being good technically with the material isn’t enough at CodeSmith, which has a focus on enabling its students to be able to succinctly explain complicated subject matters. It is this focus that makes CodeSmith graduates stand out; while engineering prowess is important, being able to easily carry a conversation about technically challenging concepts means CodeSmith graduates are able to pass technical understanding to others an invaluable skill. CodeSmith accomplishes this growth in technical communication through the way its units are designed.

CodeSmith structures its units to grow, community, technical communication, and technical understanding. CodeSmith’s use of pair programming enables each lecture to be a practice in technical communication and technical understanding. In every unit, you are faced with a challenge in understanding new material, and effectively communicating that new material to another person. It also grows the community aspect of CodeSmith, as approaching new technical challenges with another person is an immense bonding experience forming a new connection and further engrossing you into your cohort.

RECOMMENDATION:

Everyone’s journey with programming will be unique but if you are serious about learning it, I wouldn’t recommend any other place than CodeSmith.

TL-DR:

CodeSmith provides a community of people looking for a change, those interested in progressing forward. Additionally, it provides a team of people who want to help you on your journey for change, and it provides an environment for learning deeply about the intricacy of the tools you use, rather than just an overview of how to use them.

I thought attending Codesmith would just be another educational experience, but it really is so much more. Everybody at Codesmith is dedicated to not only helping you learn but making sure you succeed. The people that they let in are amazing and everybody brings everyone else up. It will probably be the hardest you have ever worked, but what you will gain is a deep understanding of not only coding but how to learn how to code. Oh, and you will have a community/family for the rest of your life. If you are on the fence do yourself a favor and come talk to the people at Codesmith and I guarantee that you will be blown away by the culture just as much as the technical knowledge that everybody learns and has.

To give you some background of me and what I came to Codesmith with: I graduated with a dual major in Computer Science and Business in college and had worked for startups in business roles after graduating. I got tired of being on the business side of things and wanted to get my hands dirty and use some of the CS skills I gained in college. But having had no technical internships or professional coding experience, I knew I needed something to give me credibility to get a technical job as a post-graduate applicant.

Codesmith gave me that baseline credibility and a lot more. Being able to speak in depth about full stack frameworks and develop projects that are based around bleeding edge technologies was really important in my job search. The critical difference between Codesmith and college CS courses is that Codesmith gives you practical skills and understanding while my college courses always stayed at a more theoretical level. You need to be able to talk about ways to build a system and their benefits/tradeoffs if you want to break past the junior programmer level, and I don't believe that's possible with a pure undergraduate degree.

For people considering Codesmith who have a background like mine (technical degree, no technical experience) I think the numbers make a lot of sense. You may be thinking that devoting 3 months and the cost of tuition is a big investment (and it is), but if I would have tried to get a job without Codesmith it would most likely have been a junior level job and paying much less than the offer I got now. Given that programming jobs don't always promote very fast, going it on your own and starting with a junior level job means you could be stuck at a lower salary and wouldn't get to work on meaningful technical challenges for years. Before Codesmith I did try to self teach some web development, and I have to say there's just no feasible way you could teach yourself as much and as fast as you would learn from Codesmith.

So to me, it's a logically good investment. And as you can see from other reviews, the support network you get from being in this community is something really priceless. I plan to keep in touch with my cohort mates and the Codesmith staff for years to come. It really is a life-changing program. So for those of you who aren't happy with your career and dream of getting a cushy, spoiled developer job, Codesmith is the path for you.

My first experience with Codesmith was from attending a JavaScript: The Hard Parts workshop taught by CEO Will Sentence -- and man, like everyone else, I was blown away from the depth of knowledge was being taught under the hood of JavaScript. I came from a non-technical background (Sociology major), and initially, I was set on attending another school, but after that workshop, I knew Codesmith was right for me.

The underlying principle that Codesmith embodies, providing a welcoming and supportive network to grow engineers to their greatest potential, is so simple yet at the same time elegant and substantial. It’s beautiful -- the process of exponentially growing engineers during this short period of time is impressive, but fostering an environment that creates a community of individuals who care for one another and support each other after the program is far more powerful.

The depth of knowledge Codesmith challenges individuals in their capabilities in programming is wild (from personal experience). But the foundation of moral support Codesmith community exemplifies is even wilder. The amount of responsibility the staff takes on to make sure every individual succeeds does not go unnoticed. They have open office hours to check on your progress, dedicated fellows assisting with help-desk questions, a stellar mentorship program, and a supportive community of engineers that will help you through the process. This isn’t to say they will hold your hand every step of the program -- you gotta work for it on your own. But when you hit a roadblock, either technical or non-technical, Codesmith is there to help. My cohort and I would not have grown because of the challenging curriculum taught, but because of the positive environment that Codesmith demonstrates. The mentorship Codesmith has given has been a core feature of our success.

Each day of the curriculum was a technical challenge on its own, but working through the blocks with pair programming and support of each other made this experience so enjoyable. Every engineer exemplifies the five core skills Codesmith vets for during their admission process (technical communication, problem-solving skills, engineering empathy, handling technical and non-technical blocks, technical knowledge) and is always there to help with your growth as an engineer. Codesmith is special not just because of the rigorous curriculum it offers, but the close-knit community of engineers it fosters with every cohort and beyond. For myself, after three months of trusting the process, I was fortunate to receive a job offer as a Software Engineer (Front-end) less than a week after graduating Codesmith. This career change has made me euphorically happy to know putting in a dedicated amount of hard work and perseverance with this program gave me so much more than what I was looking for. 11/10 would do it all again ya’ll

1) Their teaching methodology and depth of understanding of Javascript as a language is 5 steps above any other bootcamp or online program I had taken part in previously - they show you what's going on under the hood.

2) I took part in and paid for pre-bootcamp prep courses at other highly rated bootcamps and had a better experience at the free meet up called Javascript the Hard Parts - they truly care about their contribution to the larger coding community

3) I'm a self taught developer, had no professional technical experience, and there is no way I could have learned at this level by myself. They teach you to learn and push through challenging blocks - you will not be spoon fed anything and you will be forced to learn things the hard way. That being said...

4)You are never 'on your own' in terms of learning. There are frequent check ins to make sure you understand the material and they will sit down with you and go through your challenges to help you

5) Their focus on technical communication also stands out from other bootcamps and makes you more likely to be considered for mid to senior roles after graduation - you are able to communicate your skills and mentor others much more effectively

and last but not least...

6)The people here are some of the best people I've ever met. Residents all share a deep curiosity and drive to become the best developer they can be but also an astounding empathy and willingness to learn by teaching others. I was someone with the least amount of technical experience and I never felt judged or belittled by others - only encouraged and supported. The staff is also incredibly dedicated to resident's learning.

I couldn't recommend Codesmith more highly to someone from my background (no professional tech experience) though I did have to hustle a great deal.

A little bit on my background, I am a computer engineer who has worked at IBM. Two weeks before I came to Codesmith, I was browsing the web to leverage the online community and expand my knowledge of Javascript. I somehow landed on “Javascript - the hard parts” and was mind blown on the simplicity with which under the hood aspects of the language were explained. If such in-depth content was served to the community for free then I was CONFIDENT that if I got admitted to Codesmith, my technical mindset would accelerate multifold.

Fast forward to today, I have one more day left in the program and I am so thankful for taking the decision to join Codesmith. At Codesmith, they nurture curiosity and pay a strong emphasis on understanding why a technology works the way it does. They focus on imbibing a growth mindset that helps you become a great problem solver who can learn any technology on the go. Everyone on the staff is AMAZING, super supportive and they go above and beyond to ensure that every person in the program succeeds.

Before I began Codesmith, I was practiced and continuing to push my limits with JS algorithms and working my way through building my own apps. Codesmith definitely took my skills up to the next level and maybe even helped me go up multiples and multitudes of levels! Wherever you're at, it's definitely a place to level up with your technical skills and knowledge. It is true what people say, it is a place to "learn how to learn." I now feel confident that with a little time and reading up on documentation, I can figure out nearly anything in code. That is not a feeling I had before I started the immersive. I also feel that Codesmith pushed and continues to push me to think about code in a sophisticated and nuanced way. It's not just about building fullstack applications, it's about developing a deep understanding of how code works, how the data structures and algorithms are built, and which context favors which technology/stack. There's also an aspect of continuing to move the goal-post further and further as you're getting more skilled, so it keeps you humble. If you have the time and opportunity to familiarize yourself with various JS frameworks and libraries before starting, that can make a big difference in your experience, or just go in with a feirce can-do attitude because you will need it! Very rigorous and challening curriculum. Overall I'm very happy with my experience! Particularly the fellows and instructors are very helpful even at late times in the evening and over Slack at random times. The cohort was such a talented and phenomal bunch, the type of people you would want to spend 12+ hours a day with. It is also worth mentioning that Codesmith was very accommodating to myself and others who had extenuating circumstances throughout the 3 months. Life can be unpredictable even for these isolated 3 months and it's good to see that they have their students' backs. Overall very grateful to Codesmith for an amazing experience!

I had an incredible time at Codesmith! They truly go above and beyond for their students by not only meeting with everyone until late in the evening and during meal breaks to help them with any material that's challenging, but they also are amazing at helping when any unforseen circumstances come up for the students. Additionally, they truly prepare you for having a great career where, for example, just this morning I spoke to a recruiter about a job at a large sports company (ideal for someone like myself who is a HUGE sports fan) that uses the exact technologies we've spent a ton of time on here and I was disapointed by the fact I won't take the job unless they move up from the $90-100k a year range they offer candidates for the position. I could not be happier with the experience I've had here at Codesmith!

If you want to be a better software engineer that knows how to tackle any problem and at the same time be surrounded by brilliant, empathetic individuals, Codesmith is the place to be.

Attending Codesmith really taught me how to learn any tech stack and apply it with confidence. There were several times I doubted myself and my ability, but I trusted the process here and it really worked because they teach you to question why and how every line of code works so that you come out of it with a solid foundation to solve any problem. Not only did I gain foundational knowledge, but technical communication skills as well—I love that they really emphasized technical communication here because it’s truly invaluable when it comes to interviewing and working in teams.

The moment I first checked out Codesmith during one of the hard parts workshops, I was truly blown away by the outstanding community, which was another reason why Codesmith in particular really stood out to me. It was almost unbelievable how much everyone here genuinely wanted me to succeed and was willing to answer any questions I had, as well as offer their time to pair program and learn alongside me. Even during + after my time as a resident, I received continual support from the staff, which also helped to foster a supportive culture and collaborative learning environment amongst my peers—something I really welcomed after having been a student/working in highly competitive settings. Because the interview process is so rigorous, you really do have the fortune of growing alongside people who are talented, intelligent, hardworking, kind, and empathetic individuals that will magnify your own abilities as an engineer.

Response From: Phillip Troutman of Codesmith

Title: Senior Software Engineer and Lead Instructor

Thursday, Sep 13 2018

Hey Stephanie! Thank you for the feedback. It was an absolute pleasure having you in the program. The growth that you showed in your technical communication in just 3 months was extraordinary (and your ability to always dress like someone else in your cohort hahah 👯‍).

News

News

Our latest on Codesmith

Alex was interested in coding throughout college but initially dismissed it, thinking that coding just wasn’t for her. But seeing the potential of technology while working for nonprofits, she decided to revisit software engineering, and loved it. Alex won the Edie Windsor Lesbians Who Tech Scholarship to attend Codesmith coding bootcamp in New York City, and now works on a team that values diversity. Alex tells us about her experience learning in Codesmith’s supportive environment, how she landed her new role as a Software Engineer, and why she’s happy to be increasing the visibility of women in tech.

Q&A

Tell me about your career and education background – how did your path lead you to Codesmith?

My interest in engineering started when I was an undergrad studying Linguistics and International Studies. As part of my linguistics major, I worked on a project which involved building a website to document indigenous languages in the Oaxacan region of Mexico. That's where I learned that technology can be used in all these interesting ways, and there are all these interesting problems to solve.

After college, I had a hodgepodge of jobs, including jobs at nonprofits. In every job I had, I found ways to do engineering challenges, whether it be building small scripts and applications for a startup, or working with different content management systems.

I moved to New York and was feeling unfulfilled in my career, so I really decided to focus on software engineering. I was mostly self-taught at that point – I had only taken a couple of computer science classes in undergraduate, so I started teaching myself via online courses. I was just having so much fun with it.

How did you decide to go to Codesmith?

I found Codesmith because I attended their free workshops called JavaScript: The Hard Parts. The workshops were so fun. I pair programmed for the first time and had a really great time. The instructors had such a deep understanding of JavaScript and gave us such a cool engaging way to learn about not only web development, but also computer science.

I started going to the workshops every week, and then I decided to apply to Codesmith’s immersive program and spend three months of my life devoted to learning. It ended up being one of the best decisions I've ever made.

Did you consider other options like other bootcamps, or going back to college?

I did, actually. I considered going back to college for a Master’s in Computational Linguistics. I also considered and tried some of the online learning platforms. But in terms of the learning environment that I wanted to be in, I know I learn better with people in a classroom or group environment, as opposed to learning online on the side with other jobs, or in the evenings. So I knew I wanted an immersive experience.

I did a paid, week-long prep course at one of the other bootcamps in New York. I liked it and doing that helped me decide that this path was right for me, instead of getting a Masters which is really expensive. Bootcamp programs aren't cheap, but compared to a two-year program, the bang for your buck in three months versus two years is pretty amazing.

When I went to Codesmith’s free workshops, I found the level of instruction was equal, if not at a higher level than the course I paid for. And so, I thought, "This is a no brainer, I'm definitely going to Codesmith." Also, I met such wonderful people at the meetups, and I was really impressed by Codesmith staff. It just felt right.

When you decided to go to Codesmith's bootcamp, what was your goal? Did you have a specific role or job or company in mind?

I don't think I had an exact role or company in mind. I love to learn and at Codesmith, I realized it's what I wanted to spend my time doing. I loved learning JavaScript, working on coding challenges, and pair programming. But I didn't know exactly what a software engineering or web developer job looked like. Part of my motivation for going to a coding bootcamp was to see if I really wanted this career. If I could code for 9-10 hours a day, six days a week at Codesmith, then I would want to code from 9am to 5pm in a job. I was still learning about the industry, so I wanted to spend time with all these knowledgeable people to learn more about the industry, and understand what I can get out of it.

During the program, I was drawn to back end development. I'm not a very visual design-oriented person. I don't want to decide what a website should look like – I want to build it. Maybe I wouldn't have known that if I hadn't gone to Codesmith. Getting the chance to try out different parts of programming was really helpful for someone like me who was new to the professional side of the industry.

Congratulations on landing the Edie Windsor scholarship! Can you tell me about what the process was like to apply for that?

The Edie Windsor scholarship is a scholarship given by the Lesbians Who Tech organization, an organization which helps LGBT people, women, and underrepresented voices get into tech. They offer a really amazing scholarship which covers 50% off bootcamp tuition. For the application, I wrote two 500-word essays, then they sent me an email to say I was a finalist. The final email said, "Congrats, we've chosen you." So the process was really simple.

The scholarship is only one part of the work that Lesbians Who Tech does. They paid for my registration for the Lesbians Who Tech Summit in San Francisco, which was really exciting. I'd been to tech meetups, but it was my first full-blown tech conference and it was amazing. They do such incredible things for LGBT people and for women in tech. It's an awesome organization, and I feel incredibly grateful to not only have received the scholarship but also to be in this community of people. They have a Slack group, volunteer events – it's an incredibly impressive organization that I feel really grateful to have stumbled into.

Can you tell me about the Codesmith application and interview process?

It was not easy. It was definitely a little nerve-wracking. But the staff, the instructors, and Will Sentance, the CEO, were always incredibly supportive. That's a theme of Codesmith; everyone's incredibly supportive and is really rooting for you. It feels like a really positive space and energy.

There are three stages of the Codesmith interview. You fill out a form, then go in for an interview about your interests and background, so the team can get to know you. If you seem like a good fit, they schedule a technical interview with a coding challenge. It's essentially a pair programming session with an instructor who gives you challenges to solve. They're really looking at how you think. There's a certain level of JavaScript you have to know before you enter the program, because it's a really intensive program. But they aren’t looking to see if you have enough coding experience. Instead, they want to know how you think, solve problems, and communicate. Communication is one of the biggest things.

I actually didn't pass my first technical interview. I was incredibly nervous because I hadn't taken a test since I was in college. I was being evaluated and it was really nerve-wracking, so I think I froze. They gave me feedback and let me come back for another interview a week later and I did a bit better. By that time, it felt more comfortable, and luckily they let me in! I got a call from the CEO, Will, who's a fantastic guy. He said I was ready to start in the April cohort, but I actually deferred to the June cohort, because I was so overwhelmed, and felt I needed to practice more. It was a good experience all around. Nerve-wracking, but ended up being good.

What was your Codesmith cohort like? How many people were there, and was it diverse in terms of gender, and race, age, and backgrounds?

It was definitely really diverse in a lot of different ways. There were 12 of us in my cohort. Four of us were women, which was great. It could have been better, but in the tech world, we take what we can get at the moment!

In terms of experience, there were some people who had been to a bootcamp previously, who decided to come to Codesmith because it was like the next level up. There were people who had never worked in the engineering industry, people who had worked in design or done some programming, people who had been going to hackathons for years, and others like me who had tinkered but never dived super deep into things. It was a great mix of people, which was really helpful because we were able to draw on each other's experiences. I met some of my best friends there!

How does that compare to the diversity at your job today?

I'm really lucky to work at a company that is trying to close the gender gap in their engineering team. The engineering team is about 30 people. Inside of that team, I’m in a group of four developers, two designers, a product owner, and a scrum master. I'm the only woman developer in my group, but we have at least 10 women developers in the whole team. But I can see the difference at this company, compared to places I interviewed where I would have been either the only woman engineer. So I feel really lucky to work for a company that is really committed to having an inclusive and diverse workspace.

Can you tell me about the learning experience at Codesmith?

There's a Junior Phase and a Senior Phase. During a typical day during your Junior Phase, you start with a daily warm-up exercise. Each learning module was organized in two-day sprints. So during the first day of a learning module, you have an intro lecture about a topic such as Node, React, or data structures. Then a big chunk of the day would be spent working on a problem set. On the second day of the module, you go over the answers to the problem sets with an instructor. Everything you do in your junior phase is with a pair programming partner, which I think is an awesome hallmark of Codesmith. It shows how much they invest in technical communication, to make sure that you're not just understanding the concepts, but you're also understanding them well enough to explain them to someone else.

Codesmith doesn't just teach you JavaScript concepts. They teach you how to look at a problem, and say, "I don't know how to figure this out yet. I have some tools, but I need to figure it out." I honestly think that was one of the things that prepared me for my job more than anything. At my job today, I work in a code base which people have been working on for years, and many of the original coders are not here to explain what's going on. That reminds me of my junior phase at Codesmith when I was really struggling with a problem set and had to figure stuff out.

The Senior Phase is the project portion when you build a developer tool. You're taking what you learned in your junior phase, and applying it to something that you think will be helpful to the developer community. People in my cohort built things like a Lambda orchestrator, a dev tool to help with GraphQL. I built an AWS metric visualizer, which was really cool.

How did Codesmith prepare you for the job hunt? What sort of career guidance did they give you?

The second part of the Senior Phase is the hiring phase. You work on your resume and do practice interviews. It's a whole other skill to learn and it's nerve-wracking, but definitely fun. You're working with people collaboratively, practicing out loud, doing mock interviews with your cohort-mates and alums. Then there's a hiring day where Codesmith brings in companies that really want to hire people. It's almost like speed dating. About 10 or 12 companies came to our hiring day, and we got to choose who we wanted to talk to. Then if they're interested, we could continue in their interview process. It's an amazing way to start to understand what kind of jobs are available and what people are looking for.

Can you tell me about your post-Codesmith experience and how you landed your current job?

I really hit the ground running after I graduated in September 2018. I spent about two and a half months applying for jobs nonstop. It was putting in the time and effort to follow up with the employers that I met on hiring day, reaching out to companies I was interested in, digging into my network, seeing who I could talk to, and going to networking events. My whole process lasted about two and a half months, where pretty much 9am to 5pm I was applying and interviewing.

What were your job interviews like? How did you do in the code challenges?

The interview process generally was a phone screen then a coding challenge with one of the company’s engineers. Then, depending on the company, there might be another coding challenge, or an onsite interview, where you would do a coding challenge, a culture interview, and meet different people who would be on your team.

It was a pretty grueling process. But I found it a lot of fun because I was also still trying to figure out what position would fit me best. So I really felt like I was interviewing them as much as they are interviewing me – and got to treat it as a fun conversation. My process with the company that I'm currently with included a phone screen, a technical interview, and an on-site interview. Then luckily, I was offered a job!

Congratulations! Can you tell me about your role and the projects you're working on?

I'm a software engineer, working on the website. I work with JavaScript, PHP, React, Redux, SQL, Apache Servers, and Jenkins. I’m working on the full stack – both front end and back end. PHP is a language I didn't know before I started working, so it was cool to learn a new language on the job. I'm actually giving a talk at a meetup about that experience! That's something Codesmith helped prepare me for.

My parents have no idea what I do, but I can tell them, "Go to that website, and click that button – I did that!" So that's kind of the fun side of web development. But then I'm also working with database queries, and different server-side problems, which has been really fun.

What’s been your biggest challenge or roadblock in your career change?

All things considered, things are going very well. But I think I do struggle with imposter syndrome. It's not that I didn't like math or consider myself interested in science or STEM topics in college. I put coding to the side as something that just wasn't for me a little too early on. Then I started to realize that coding is more about problem solving, finding patterns, and learning a new language. I wish that had stuck with me a little earlier. I'm glad I eventually got there. But I think the challenge has been my own confidence in myself, and thinking that "This stuff isn't for me, I haven't been doing this since I was 10 years old." And that's just not true.

While I'm definitely confident in my abilities, sometimes it can be really intimidating when an experienced colleague gets his tickets done much faster than I do, because he knows the code base better. There are days where I get frustrated with myself or frustrated that it's taking me longer to work out a problem. At the same time, I feel I'm able to hold my own in terms of learning new things. Luckily, I'm in a workspace where questions and collaboration are really encouraged. So I don't think I've ever felt like I couldn't ask someone if I get stuck. One of the best parts of my job is getting to work with my coworkers. This is an industry and a job where I'm constantly learning something new every day.

What is it like being a woman in tech now that you've graduated?

I'm still learning what it means to be a woman in tech. Again, I'm really lucky that the company I work for is cognizant and intentional about hiring women and diverse candidates. But it's always in the back of my mind, “Am I not speaking up because men are talking too much? Am I not speaking up because I need to learn a bit more?” I’m always thinking about the different power structures in the room and what effect that is having on me. I've made a conscious effort to speak at least once in every meeting to practice, so when I have something really important to say, I'll be used to speaking up.

Also, I'm part of a Women in Tech group at my company. It's about creating community, supporting people, and being visible. I'm really inspired, not only by some of the women in my company who've been there for a little bit longer, but also by the tech community in general. I'm always really excited when I see a woman speaking at an event. Visibility and representation are really important in all aspects for inclusion and diversity in tech.

Have your background and your college degree been useful in becoming a software developer?

The more relevant degree to coding is linguistics. Often when I say I studied linguistics, people will say, "Oh, that makes sense that you're a software engineer now,” because linguistics is focused on syntax, breaking down language into its smallest parts, and seeing how it fits together. And that's a lot of what coding is – logic, syntax, and how things fit together. So it makes sense that I found my way here because I enjoyed looking at and learning new languages.

But also, in the work that I did in the nonprofit world and the startup world, I learned how important communication is and how important it is to see the big picture. I'm really grateful for those experiences because that was where I learned how to work on a team, and communicate problems to people who might not be technical. I feel really grateful for having that experience, even if it wasn't directly engineering work.

Have you stayed involved with Codesmith?

Unfortunately, my job took me to a different city. I don't live in New York anymore, which is a bummer because I really miss all my friends from Codesmith in New York! But we do have group chats and there is an active alumni Slack channel – there’s a vast alumni network.

Anytime there's a call for grads to do mock interviews with current students, I like to do that because I remember how fun it was to talk to grads who returned to Codesmith. Anytime anyone is interested in talking to someone with a background like me, or interested in the Lesbians Who Tech scholarship, I'm happy to talk to people. I feel incredibly lucky to be part of the Codesmith community and know that there are smart, exciting, amazing people who are willing to help me and I'm willing to help them.

What advice do you have for other people, especially women, who are thinking about making a career change through a bootcamp like Codesmith?

You can do it. If you're waiting for someone to give you permission, here it is. Do it. It's hard to over exaggerate how much Codesmith changed my life. I never thought I'd be making as much money as I'm making now. I just never thought of myself as an engineer, even if I was doing things that were related. I met amazing people. It was really hard, it was really challenging, but it is the best thing that's ever happened to me. So if you want to do it, do it.

About The Author

Imogen is a writer and content producer who loves writing about technology and education. Her background is in journalism, writing for newspapers and news websites. She grew up in England, Dubai and New Zealand, and now lives in Brooklyn, NY.

In today’s world, understanding the ecosystem beyond coding can be the difference between a junior and a senior software engineer. One part of that ecosystem is cloud computing infrastructure like Amazon Web Services (AWS). Schno Mozingo, Head of Curriculum at Codesmith, walks us through the basics of AWS, how companies and developers are using it, and why understanding AWS can help bootcampers land higher-level engineering positions. Listen to the podcast or read the article!

Is learning to code on your 2019 New Year’s Resolutions List? It should be! The average coding bootcamp graduate gets a job in tech and sees a 49% salary lift. A coding bootcamp could be just what you need to make a fresh start in 2019 as a developer, so we’ve compiled a list of 18 full-time, part-time, in-person and online coding bootcamps which have upcoming cohorts starting in January and February 2019. Most of these coding courses have approaching application deadlines, so submit yours quickly if you want to get a head start in 2019!

In the last week at Codesmith, students take part in Hiring Day, where employers visit the campus looking to hire new software engineers. Students interview with employers and show off their final projects. We visited Codesmith’s New York City campus and spoke to one student about his experience at Codesmith, what he built after 12 weeks, and how his ambitions have changed after Codesmith! Find out if Codesmith was worth it for Reynolds Colon.

So you’re thinking about applying to a coding bootcamp. What should you expect in the application and interview process? And how do you ensure you get accepted to your dream coding bootcamp? We invited representatives from 7 coding bootcamps to ask all the tough questions about getting into coding school. In this live panel discussion, hear tips and advice about coding challenges, prep programs and more from Flatiron School, New York Code + Design Academy, Fullstack Academy, the Grace Hopper Program, Hack Reactor, Galvanize, and Codesmith! Watch the video, listen to the podcast, read the summary or transcript.

Am I ready to apply to Codesmith? Do I need to have programming experience? What happens if I fail the technical interview? How do I improve my “technical communication?” Will Adamowicz just graduated from Codesmith’s 12-week Academy and spills the details about the application process (he’s now a Codesmith Fellow, so he knows the ins and outs). From basic steps to interview questions to preparation tips, Will answers all of your questions!

Fill out an online application or attend a workshop at Codesmith to get a challenge code. That code sends you to a special application that guarantees you an interview.

Attend a non-technical interview (can be done in person or over video call)

Attend a technical interview (can be done in person of over video call)

How long does the Codesmith application process typically take? How long did it take you?

From the moment you apply to the moment you complete your non-technical and technical interviews can be as short as a one week. This is rare, though. Most students will plan several weeks – if not months – ahead to apply. In my case, I had a particular start date in mind and planned about two months ahead of that start date.

Codesmith accepts students on a rolling basis, though the process tends to depend on how much demand there is for a particular cohort. You’re definitely welcome to apply to a cohort several months in advance and you can also defer an acceptance up to three months.

What goes into the written application? Does Codesmith require a video submission?

The written application is fairly straightforward, just logistical info, a few essays about your background and passion for technology, and an optional coding challenge. There is no video submission required.

Can you give us a sample question from the non-technical interview?

One of the questions in my non-technical interview was: “What are your long term goals in software engineering? What do you want to do with it down the line?”

Is Codesmith looking for a specific technical background? What types of backgrounds have successful Codesmith students had?

About 50% of students at Codesmith come from engineering backgrounds and 50% come from non-technical backgrounds. Codesmith doesn’t look for any particular kind of background. I’ve seen everything from actors, school teachers, grad students, hotel managers, EMTs, and the list goes on. Having a technical background can help, of course, but there are so many factors that go into being a good engineer that it is not really a significant indicator of how successful you’ll be.

I had no coding background but studied logic and mathematics which definitely helped me in the admission process. Since I didn’t know anything about programming, I prepared for about three months before applying to Codesmith, doing three to four hours of study every single day. I had just come out of grad school writing long papers about analytic philosophy so I got accustomed to working alone and staying disciplined, but if this were a few years earlier I would have definitely signed myself up for a prep course to have some kind of accountability while studying.

Does every applicant get a Technical Interview?

Some candidates may not be a good fit for the program – in that case, they won’t get a technical interview. As a Codesmith Fellow, I interview candidates, and we generally look for excellent communicators who are also driven and passionate about wanting to become software engineers. We also want to accept team players. You’ll end up working very closely with a small team, so being able to work well with others is one of the biggest indicators of whether you’ll be a good candidate for Codesmith.

What can an applicant expect from the technical interview? Is there a coding challenge?

The technical interview involves answering a series of increasingly harder coding challenges. There is an endless list of challenges, so the goal is not to simply race through and try to get to the (imaginary) end. Much more important are things like technical communication and how you approach a problem that you don’t know how to do.

The engineer conducting the interview will stop after one hour and then send their notes off to the admissions team.

Interviews are always conducted in Javascript.

Can you give us a sample question from that technical interview?

The questions are generally similar to what you find on websites like Codewars, Leetcode, HackerRank etc. You should know Javascript fundamentals – especially higher-order functions, callbacks and closures. The best way to get a grasp on these is definitely by attending the Codesmith workshops since they’re all geared towards preparing you for the interview.

Can I apply more than once if I fail the technical interview?

I think the current Codesmith acceptance is about 5% – I rarely see someone pass the technical interview on the first try. You can do the technical interview up to three times (if you fail the first and second). If you don’t pass, then the admissions team will give you feedback and resources to help get you up to speed. They’ll recommend a number of weeks for you to prepare until your next interview but you’re welcome to reinterview whenever you’re ready.

Most people fail the first interview, so don’t be discouraged if you don’t pass. Many people who fail their technical interview have even gone on to become Codesmith Fellows. More commonly than not, you’ll need to work on technical communication, so pair programming is one of the best ways to learn to talk through your ideas as you code them.

How do I get better at “technical communication?”

One thing that worked really well for me was recording myself doing algorithms and rewatching my problem solving. It was definitely painful at first but it helped me learn how to discuss a higher level strategy and talk about my implementation while going through a problem, which is an entirely separate skillset from the analytical thinking involved in solving a problem.

What resources do you suggest applicants use to really ace the technical interview?

The CSX platform (Codesmith’s online learning platform with instructional videos and coding challenges) is very good for preparing you to get in. Go to the Hard Parts weekly workshops or attend online – that’s one of the best ways to start working on technical communication. There is also a paid two week part-time online course called CS Prep that focuses on everything tested on the Codesmith technical interview and other qualities the admissions team looks for.

I would also recommend using websites like FreeCodeCamp or Codecademy to get the basics down, and to practice algorithms on coding challenge websites (Codewars, Leetcode, HackerRank). I’m also a big fan of this website, ReactiveX, for getting more accustomed to using higher order functions. It’s just a single tutorial but I found it very helpful in preparing me for the interview.

When do you think a Bootcamp Prep program is worth it?

Getting experience with pair programming is super helpful, so I would definitely recommend going to a prep program like Hard Parts or CS Prep if you think you’d have trouble sticking to a daily routine and want a little more guidance on the kinds of materials to study.

I was working in a kitchen in Kyoto in Japan when I started studying to get into Codesmith and soon realized I couldn’t get any productive work done after my shift, so I was getting up at 4:30am every day and practicing algorithms for a few hours every morning. I actually got my first opportunity to pair program by attending Hard Parts online and ended up being roommates during the program with my first pair programming partner. He was in China at the time while I was in Japan and next thing you know we were both in Venice, Los Angeles in the same cohort.

As a Codesmith Fellow, do you take part in the interviews? How do you evaluate an applicant’s future potential? What qualities are you looking for?

Yes, all the Codesmith Fellows conduct technical interviews. Like I mentioned earlier, technical communication and how you handle not knowing an answer are two big things, but there are a number of factors. Your JavaScript knowledge is only one of many. Non-technical communication and problem solving ability are also important. For example, you’re allowed to use the internet to look up whatever you want when you see an unfamiliar concept (except directly looking up the answer), so seeing your approach to doing research is important. Saying you have no idea and giving up would be a bad way of approaching a new situation. Fellows take notes and send them off to the admissions team, and they’ll review the whole interview to make a final decision.

Does Codesmith accept international students? Do international students get student visas/tourist visas to do the program?

Yes, there have been several international students who have gone through the program with tourist/student visas.

Even after Brittany Miltenberger earned a bachelor’s degree in computer science and worked professionally in software (QA, Release Engineering, and Front End Web Development), she felt she needed to go to coding bootcamp to learn more advanced, full-stack web development skills and technologies. She chose Codesmith in Los Angeles, because she thought it would be a challenge and enrolled in the two-week Live Online CS Prep course to prepare for the technical interview. Find out how Brittany enjoyed learning remotely with others before she moved to LA, how difficult the Codesmith technical interview was, and her plans for the future!

Q&A

Walk us through your career and education background. What did you do before Codesmith?

I have a bachelor's degree in Computer Science from Simmons College in Boston, Massachusetts. My interest in coding actually stemmed from my original major – music and audio production. Recording music with computers piqued my interest in software and UI/UX design. I found that I enjoyed deconstructing and building the software more than recording the music, so I switched my major to computer science.

After college, I became a Quality Assurance Engineer for a music production software company in Boston. It was a perfect fit and I was so fortunate. I was so thrilled to blend my interests in music and software. As a QA Engineer I was primarily conducting test scripts, then I got promoted to a Builds Release Engineer, a more technical role maintaining automated software builds, scripts, and creating installers.

Recently, I've been working professionally in front end and interactive web development. Over the past four years, I've built software for many aspects of learning – creating, developing, designing eLearning courses.

You had those technical skills and a computer science degree –why go to a coding bootcamp?

I was really happy in my most recent role, but I noticed I had reached a plateau as a "jack of all trades." I was doing a bit of web design, but not as much web development as I would have liked. So about three months ago, I made the conscious decision to resign from my job and fully dive deep into JavaScript. That's when I began researching intensive coding programs.

What made you choose Codesmith over other coding bootcamps?

I began by searching on Google, and comparing and contrasting different programs. I came across Course Report and read different reviews. Codesmith had stellar reviews; in particular, I liked that Codesmith prepared students for mid-to-senior level programming careers, which was exactly what I was looking for. I wanted to enroll in a program that would be challenging for me, where I would learn a lot.

Once I read up on Codesmith and was digging the vibe, I began attending their weekly meetups called ‘JavaScript the Hard Parts’. They had many different tools and meetups that were so helpful for me, and that's what stood out to me about Codesmith. Once I started attending those weekly meetings remotely, the community was so welcoming. I began forming study groups and I thought, “I'm going to stick with Codesmith."

In my last job as a Front End Web Developer, I worked remotely, so I wanted to do something in-person with other classmates. The two-week CS Prep program was remote and was excellent, but for the actual bootcamp, I wanted to do something in-person (Codesmith is 12-weeks, in-person). I live in Washington, DC now, but the Codesmith classroom is in New York and Los Angeles, but I was really eager to pursue Codesmith and relocate. I chose Los Angeles because I lived there a few years back, and it’s a great tech hub, especially in the Venice area and Silicon Beach.

Why did you decide to do Codesmith’s CS Prep program before applying for the 12-week coding bootcamp?

I enrolled in CS Prep to prepare for the Codesmith technical interview and to boost my confidence. I was so set on going to Codesmith, but since I wasn't in LA, I figured that enrolling in a prep course like CS Prep would be a great introduction – I could meet some of the fellows at Codesmith and other applicants. I was 99.9% sure I was going to enroll in the full program and CS Prep helped me confirm that.

I attended CS Prep from April 16th to 29th from DC, then interviewed for the full-time program in May. I flew to Los Angeles to do my interview and I got accepted. I start the full-time academy in LA on July 23rd. Right now, I’m starting a lot of pre-work and I'm so excited!

How was the application and interview process for the Codesmith CS Prep?

CS Prep does have a selective admissions process. At first, I thought, "am I even going to get in?" But actually, I found it to be a wonderful interview process. It was pretty stress-free. There were two parts to the application process. First I participated in a non-technical interview, to discuss my coding background and software engineering goals.

After that, I had the option of submitting short essays about my coding ambitions or completing a coding challenge. I chose the coding challenge. I’d been working through a lot of Codesmith's free online resources and I figured the challenge would be a good indicator of my readiness.

How did you feel about the prep course remote learning experience?

I did the live online CS Prep course alongside a group of other students. It was really cool because we used the video conferencing software Zoom, so for each class I could sign on and say hello to everyone – it was like I was in an actual classroom, but virtual. It wasn't a passive lecture learning experience – everyone could see each other and talk to each other so it was interactive. I always had to make sure I was listening and staying on track because, like in a classroom, I could get called on to answer questions. I found the whole experience to be so immersive. It was really like we were all there in person – it was awesome.

How many instructors helped you during the Codesmith CS Prep program?

We had four different instructors over two weeks, which was really cool. Some of them were Codesmith Fellows and had been through the program, so they could give us great guidance. It was nice to have a variety of instructors because everyone has different teaching styles. It kept the learning fresh and made it a rich learning experience.

Did the prep course teaching style match your learning style? What did a typical day look like?

It definitely did. Each of the instructors taught differently, but each was really excellent. I got so much out of each class. The overall class structure was very consistent, so that helped. We would start each class with a 30-minute coding challenge. It was a great way to warm up and get our gears rolling. Then we would go into a lecture on a new topic where the instructor would share a PDF and go through slides.

Another really cool aspect, and excellent virtual learning tool, was that we used iPads as whiteboards. In a lot of coding classes in real life, you'll have a whiteboard where the teacher writes some code on the board, and you walk through it together. But during our class, they would switch to the iPad view, and they draw with the stylus and walk through the code that way.

How difficult was the CS Prep Program?

It was honestly right in the middle of my expectations. It definitely wasn't easy. I put in several hours each day before class to review material. Although that wasn't required, I did it to keep on track. But at the same time, it wasn't crazy difficult, I wasn't beyond stressed and staying up all night studying. I felt like it was a really good middle ground.

I consciously resigned from my job, so I had the luxury of having time to study. But several students in the class were working nine to five jobs. If you are working nine to five, they have evening and weekend classes as well – so there's definitely a balance. You could go to a job all day and then go to CS prep, and I don't think it would be too overwhelming.

Can you tell me about the project that you built during the prep program?

For our final project, we worked in groups of three or four. The topic was pretty open-ended – the only requirement was to use Vanilla JavaScript, without HTML or CSS for distractions, to create a game. Our group decided to do the hangman game, which was really fun. We used pure JavaScript and collaborated using a tool called REPL, which is a simple online compiler, IDE, and interpreter. It was gratifying to see the project come together when we presented it to the rest of the students in the prep course. It was definitely challenging to build, given certain aspects of technical communication, working with other people, and meeting deadlines, but it was a cool way to wrap up the course because we brought everything we learned together into an actual real-world application.

The game’s source code is currently stored on our REPL account, but my team members and I are creating a shared GitHub account so we can actually publish it and share it.

Did you feel ready to apply to the full-time program at the end of CS Prep?

After the CS Prep program, my confidence level was boosted. Learning remotely can be intimidating because you may miss that sense of community. But one of the reasons I felt so prepared for the technical interview was because of the other students in CS Prep. We did so much pair programming, and that experience helped me with my technical communication. It's one thing to be able to code something yourself, but to be able to explain it and talk someone through it is of equal or greater importance. That was a big takeaway.

After you finished CS Prep, what was the admissions process like for Codesmith’s 12-week coding bootcamp?

It was a two-part process. The first part was a non-technical interview to assess my background and goals and to see if I was a good culture fit. It was definitely a longer interview and more in-depth than the CS Prep interview. We talked more about coding, my experience, and pair programming.

Part one wasn't stressful, but the second part was a technical interview, and I was definitely nervous. I did not need to fly to Los Angeles for that interview, but I wanted to check out the Codesmith headquarters in LA, and I felt that I may perform better in-person.

I coded each day for several weeks before the technical interview to make sure I was ready. That interview was challenging, and at some point, I hit a wall where I didn't know the answer. I had to take a deep breath, use technical communication (which I learned in CS Prep) and break down that problem, piece by piece. I had to show my knowledge, even if I didn't perfectly answer the question. Even though interviews can be stressful, Codesmith is really welcoming so I still found it to be a positive experience.

Could you have gotten into Codesmith without doing the CS Prep course?

I think I could have been accepted, but I would not have been as prepared for the technical interview. I would’ve been way more nervous. My experience with technical communication and pair programming at CS Prep built a really good foundation for a technical interview because I hadn't done a technical interview for a job in several years. CS Prep got me motivated and improved my confidence.

What are your plans after you graduate from Codesmith?

My familiarity and interests still lie within front end web development and design. But that could change as I work through the Codesmith curriculum. I'm really eager to learn more about full stack development, which is something I’ve never done professionally. For now, I just want a challenging job in a mid-to-senior level position.

I've worked for startups as well as huge corporations. I really dig the startup vibe and I’d like a job where my work has a direct impact. I'm trying to keep my options open when it comes to the industry I’d like to work in. I still have interests in music so it would be cool to combine art and code together again. I'm also aiming to work LA.

Do you keep in touch with anybody from the prep program? Is anyone going to the full-time program with you?

I've definitely kept in touch with several students from CS Prep. Some are interviewing and some have been accepted, which is awesome. Once CS Prep completed, we still did study groups a few times a week, and that was so valuable. Fortunately, we kept in touch.

When I went to LA a few weeks back, I met up with some of my prep cohort in person, so that was really nice. A huge part of the value I found in CS Prep was networking with other students who were applying, so I didn't feel so alone in the process.

What advice do you have for people thinking about attending a coding bootcamp? Do you recommend attending a coding bootcamp prep course?

I had a technical background before Codesmith, but for those who don't and are curious, I highly recommend a coding bootcamp. I was amazed with the other students – when I was pair programming and chatting with them about their lives and backgrounds, students who I thought had been coding for years, had just picked it up a few months ago. They learned fast! Computer science and programming can sound intimidating, but I've seen students excel so quickly. So if you are motivated, organized, and ambitious, it's totally doable.

Also, for those new to coding, it might be difficult to know what area of coding you want to go into because there are so many different sectors – back end, front end, full stack, etc. But there's a wealth of online resources for tutorials, so see what areas pique your interest. If you're still not sure, enroll in a bootcamp that can teach you various technical skills so you can figure it out.

In terms of Codesmith’s CS Prep, I highly recommend it. It was such a fantastic way to be welcomed into the Codesmith community. And there’s a great incentive where students who complete CS Prep get the tuition cost credited towards the full-time Codesmith tuition.

About The Author

Lauren is a communications and operations strategist who loves to help others find their idea of success. She is passionate about techonology education, career development, startups, and the arts. Her background includes career/youth development, public affairs, and philanthropy. She is from Richmond, VA and now currently resides in Los Angeles, CA.

The Codesmith team understands that the best way for people to learn is alongside a community. So when they launched Codesmith CSX, a free online learning platform to prepare people for coding bootcamps, user interaction was front and center. Codesmith Senior Product Manager Haley Godtfredsen tells us all about the CSX curriculum, how to navigate the online platform, how users can take part in weekly pair programming sessions, and she gives us a demo of a CSX coding challenge!

Q&A

What's your background and your role at Codesmith?

I'm a Senior Product Manager at Codesmith and I’m taking the lead on our new product – the CSX online learning platform. I've also been a Codesmith coach for about two years.

My background is mostly in Python but I was excited about learning JavaScript and came to some of Codesmith’s free events to learn more. I loved the teaching style and loved the team. After meeting them I thought, "I need to work here!" My coworkers are so passionate and excited about technology, and it's a very fast and iterative environment, which I love. So I’m excited to bring the learning experience to a lot more people online.

Can you tell us exactly what CSX is and why you are working on it?

CSX is an online advanced JavaScript learning platform. It has challenges, video recordings, and READMEs about different core fundamentals of JavaScript.

The core of Codesmith is our 12-week residency in Los Angeles and New York. We have tons of applicants coming from other cities and countries and we didn't have many resources to help get them into the community besides our weekly live stream of our JavaScript The Hard Parts course on YouTube.

As a more advanced program, people usually need to refine their skills or learn more JavaScript to get accepted – we were constantly pushing applicants towards different resources to prepare for Codesmith. So we thought, “why aren’t we doing it ourselves and giving people the exact fundamental knowledge they need to know coming into Codesmith?” With CSX, we are doing just that.

Is CSX just for students thinking about applying to Codesmith or can anyone do it?

Anybody can do it, and we already have such a range of users. Some of our students are preparing for Codesmith and other coding bootcamps as well. I've talked to people who manage engineering teams who use our platform to better understand the technology that their engineering team works with, or maybe they're fluent in Python but want to try JavaScript.

For now, CSX is a free program, so it’s available for anyone who wants to pick up some JavaScript. But there is a special focus for people who are preparing for Codesmith and giving them the tools and knowledge we expect from applicants in our technical interviews.

How long does it take to graduate from the CSX program?

It's different depending on what background you're coming in with, and how much time per week you're going to be putting toward learning. It's a completely free online program, and people can take it at their own pace. For someone who is less experienced, it could take them up to 60 hours. For someone who is more experienced, it would take less time than that.

Can you give me an overview of the CSX curriculum?

CSX starts with a pre-course which takes you into the basics of JavaScript, starting with variables, then moving up to loops and arrays. Then you move on to functions and execution context, callbacks and higher-order functions, closures, execution context and scope, and then asynchronous JavaScript. We also are about to release an object-oriented programming unit.

For those students taking the free version of CSX, do they work with instructors or is it mainly solo learning?

We really wanted to bring a community to the online space with CSX. Our weekly in-person workshops are focused on community. We make sure everyone feels comfortable and able to really put their best foot forward with learning because they're not worried about being competitive or asking a silly question.

All of our CSX videos are taught by our CEO Will Sentance, who is one of the top Front End Masters instructors. If you have questions while you're going through the free program, we have weekly half-hour office hours to ask a mentor or the CSX staff questions about the program itself or about a specific challenge.

If you have any questions, you can just shoot that into the general Slack channel and one of the mentors usually answers within a couple of hours. Other students also answer questions and help each other out on Slack, which is really exciting to see.

In addition to prepping for the Codesmith application process, what is the overall goal of CSX? What will students be able to build or do when they finish?

CSX is structured around a core Codesmith value: teaching students how to teach themselves. In this world of technology, things are always changing. The next thing is always right around the corner, and it doesn't help to get yourself in a very small hole by just being an expert in one technology. You need to know how to learn new technologies and new concepts. And that's what we want to bring to CSX as well.

There’s a lot more to being a software engineer than just understanding the technology. We also focus on technical communication and problem-solving, student pair program on a weekly basis to interact with other programmers and work on those skills. One way to understand a concept is by explaining that concept to someone else. We expect students to come out of CSX with a refined ability to tackle any type of problem, whether they've seen that problem before on CSX or not.

The other goal is to have a core knowledge of the fundamentals of JavaScript. We have a project called Building a Chrome Extension that allows people to dive into the nitty-gritty of JavaScript. The practice problems are amazing and allow you to get to know each concept, but building a project helps you understand how things work together and how to use all the resources the internet can provide.

It’s cool that CSX students actually build a real project.

Yeah. We also award scholarship opportunities based on submissions of that Chrome Extension project. Recently, students had two weeks to build a Chrome Extension and our team awarded a 25% scholarship to Codesmith to the winner.

Okay, Haley – share your screen and show us what CSX looks like!

The CSX layout:

Every unit is represented as a card on the main page.

You’ll get an overview of which units are available, then pick and choose where to dive in.

It's not necessarily a chronological course. If you have an understanding of one concept and you want to dive into another one, that's totally fine.

You can watch our newly-released, professionally-shot video content and view the slides.

Students are able to test their work from console logs. In the future, Codesmith will implement unit testing, so that students know immediately if their entries are correct.

It's awesome for people to be able to connect and work through problems with people around the world. Online learning can often be very solitary and it's hard to keep motivated when it's just you in your room alone. We do a lot of pair programming in our full program and in our in-person events, so we wanted to bring that to the online space.

How can students pair program on CSX?

First you need to sign up and verify your email address. Then you can RSVP to a weekly pair programming workshop.

You’ll rate your comfortability with the concept that will be covered in the workshop

You’ll get a link to the challenge for that week's pair programming session. The email includes some instructions and best practices for pair programming. You’ll both go into the session knowing who the “driver” is and who the “navigator” is.

During the pair programming session, you can use video + audio to talk to your partner.

What are “navigators” and “drivers” in pair programming?

The navigator does the problem solving, working through how to get to the solution, and using their technical communication to relay that information to the Driver. In a navigator position, technical communication is very important. You need to know where you want to go with the problem so you can explain the steps to get there.

The driver takes that information and translates it into JavaScript. They're doing all the typing while the navigator keeps their hands completely off the keyboard. The driver is working more on their syntax skills; being the one who's typing the code.

It’s up to the pair to decide who wants to be the driver and who is the navigator.

We encourage students to switch roles every 20 minutes, or every challenge so they can both get experience using the different skills that come from each position.

How is CSX different from other free online resources like Codecademy?

I'm a huge fan of Codecademy, but what we wanted to bring to our CSX is really hard learning. Hard learning isn't done best by yourself. It's easy to stop, hit a block, and not want to continue. We wanted to supplement that with live workshops that complement each unit that we have filmed live, as well as videos on CSX, weekly pair programming, and weekly office hours to give people that actual push.

If you have questions and you're struggling, you have other people to work with and you have mentors to ask questions. We think that you learn from hitting a block and working through it, as opposed to being walked through a programming tutorial like Codecademy.

How often do students actually get accepted into Codesmith (or other coding bootcamps) after going through CSX.

Since CSX is relatively new, we don't have any hard data on this. We have a lot of students in our most recent cohort who have been using it. And talking to them, it sounds like it was really helpful. I do think that it's helping our students start off on the right foot.

How else can students prepare for Codesmith?

We're releasing two new programs in March that are more structured, paid versions of CSX. The Live Online program is two weeks long, and is a version of the free program condensed into a two-week program, with three weeknights and one weekend day per week, with live instructors and office hours, and a focus on problem solving and technical communication.

Then we have a self-directed four-week program, which you can take as long as you want to finish. There's no focus on how far you get through it, but there are weekly personalized office hours, assessments, and pair programming with a mentor who can help you through if you're struggling. That course ends with a mock interview for Codesmith, to prepare you for the real thing.

There will be scholarships available for these programs. And if you are accepted into Codesmith, that tuition comes out of the full bootcamp tuition.

What's your advice for students who are considering this CSX program?

Set yourself up with goals and the achievable tasks to get to those goals. Make a plan and commit a certain number of hours per week, making sure that your schedule allows for that. Pair programming is important, and using to those office hours is super important too.

It's easy to stop when you’re learning online, so remember that there is a real community to take part in. Ask questions on Slack, meet other students on Slack, come to in-person events, or attend a live stream. Set yourself up with the expectation that it's not going to be easy. The CSX program is a really great path with a lot of support.

My best advice: be ready to hit blocks and then be ready to solve them.

About The Author

Imogen is a writer and content producer who loves writing about technology and education. Her background is in journalism, writing for newspapers and news websites. She grew up in England, Dubai and New Zealand, and now lives in Brooklyn, NY.

What will your salary be after coding bootcamp? Coding bootcamps are judged almost entirely by their ability to find students high-paying jobs as software developers. Some schools release data about alumni jobs, others offer money-back job guarantees or deferred tuition, but how much are students earning when they graduate and how does their earning potential change as they gain experience? Every year, Course Report surveys real coding bootcamp graduates to better understand who is graduating from coding bootcamps and how successful they are in the workforce. In our second post of this series, we explore the lucrative data about salaries after a coding bootcamp.

Daniel King was a Physics teacher for six years when he started attending Codesmith’s JavaScript: The Hard Parts workshops, and he was hooked. Since graduating from Codesmith just one year ago, Daniel has continued to grow into his new career as a software engineer. We talk about the community and mentorship that Daniel found at Codesmith, the principles of engineering that help him continue to grow as a developer after graduation, and how he landed his new job as a Web Solutions Engineer at Google. Plus, Daniel answers the age-old question: do you need to be good at math to be a great software engineer?

Q&A

Tell us about your career and education background. How did your path lead you to Codesmith?

My college degree is actually in math and physics because at the time I thought I wanted to go into research or a PhD program in either math or physics. I wasn't totally convinced, so I decided to take time off from being in school to evaluate that pathway.

While I was taking that time off, I started substitute teaching just to pay the bills and ended up really liking teaching. I ended up teaching high school physics for about six years. Teach for America brought me to Los Angeles, where I taught for four years at a public school.

How did you become interested in programming?

The last school I taught at wanted to pilot a computer science course and I was the only person at the school who had any inkling of experience with programming, so they asked me to teach it. I had never taken a computer science class, but in my physics degree, we learned a little bit of programming for number crunching, large physics calculations, and simulations. I remembered liking that work, so the idea of teaching that computer science course was exciting. In the process of lesson-planning, I found myself wanting to spend my free time diving more deeply into it.

That experience is what really got me interested in programming and making the career switch into being a software developer.

What made you take the next step from teaching computer science at a school to actually changing careers and becoming a software developer?

My background is in technical fields – math and physics – and I found myself missing doing technical work myself. Spending time learning about computer science in order to be able to teach that course gave me the itch to do more technical work myself. That's what initially got me thinking about making a full-time career in software development.

Why was a coding bootcamp the best way to achieve that goal?

When I first started thinking about transitioning into software development as a career, I wasn't necessarily going to go down the coding bootcamp route. I started to consider coding bootcamps because even though I was a classroom teacher myself, I actually found it really difficult to be a student in the traditional classroom. I knew that if I wanted to go into software development, it would be really helpful to have some coaching or mentorship as I learned.

I wanted a place to learn with other people who were interested in programming as well, but I also wanted the transition to be faster than going through a traditional, multi-year master's degree. I knew that even if a coding bootcamp was difficult in the moment, I would be able to get a lot out of it very quickly and be able to start my career as a software engineer in a really good place. To be perfectly frank, I guess I was a little bit impatient!

How did you find Codesmith?

I started going to Codesmith's JavaScript The Hard Parts workshop, which is a free, weekly community workshop on interesting JavaScript concepts. I really enjoyed that workshop, so Codesmith was on my radar.

Having been a teacher in the classroom myself, I was really impressed with how hard Codesmith worked to build community, both with the students who are currently studying there and with the beginners who were coming to that free workshop every week.

Did you research other coding bootcamps? What stood out about Codesmith?

I did look at a few other coding bootcamps, but to me, community building is really Codesmith’s secret sauce. They work hard to create the kind of environment where everyone wants to learn at a really high level, wants to push themselves to the limit, and is 100% there to support every other person who's going through the process. It really allows you to push yourself and learn as much as you can without fear that you might fall behind – you've got 20 other people who are there with you to support you along that journey.

Was it a competitive application and interview process to get into Codesmith?

Even though I had been going to the Javascript workshops, the application process was still hard. I interviewed with a couple of other bootcamps at the time and I felt that Codesmith’s interview process was the most rigorous. I felt the most challenged by their interview questions. For me, that was a good thing – I wanted to be pushed to the limit and beyond my comfort zone. After interviewing and seeing how much passion and excitement all of the staff and the current students had for Codesmith, it really made it clear that Codesmith was the right fit.

As a former teacher, what did you think of the Codesmith teaching style? Did it work with your learning style?

There are so many things that Codesmith does right, pedagogically speaking. Most impressively, their entire focus is where it needs to be: on the students’ learning. Students work on projects that are intended to help them learn a certain topic, and these projects are large in scope and open-ended; they're typically too large to be completed within the allotted time. The ultimate example of this is the Production project, where students spend the last six weeks of the program working on large, cutting-edge software project of their choice. My team and I decided to create a library for testing WebRTC applications, and as far as we know, we were the first people in the world to do so.

Since the projects are so large and open-ended, the point is that students dig into it and work as hard as they can. It’s not about finishing the project because, in the real world, you're never finished. Instead, it’s about taking away an enduring lesson. At Codesmith, learning is the most important part of the process. Instead of telling you how to solve a tough problem, the instructors gently nudge you in the right direction. In the moment, that can be frustrating, but you're really learning the most when you struggle. It's by fighting through confusion and overcoming barriers that we become stronger as software engineers. That's really what engineers do in their day-to-day work.

This style of learning was definitely cultivated at Codesmith and it's something that they emphasize and articulate as much as possible. Going through the program helped me to articulate those principles to myself more clearly. Working in education for the past several years, I had some frustrations with aspects of the traditional educational system because I felt it was too task-oriented and focused on the solution instead of the learning itself.

How did Codesmith prepare you for the job hunt?

The job search mostly happens within the last few weeks of Codesmith, and then during the next couple of months after you graduate. Codesmith does mock interviews, whiteboarding sessions, resume writing workshops, coached us on negotiating salaries, and exercises to build our confidence as we go off into the job market and start applying for jobs. There’s also a Hiring Day where they invite companies from the Los Angeles area to do interview speed dating with the graduating class. It's not uncommon for many students to get called back for onsite interviews due to Hiring Day. After graduation day, once we’re in the actual job search, Codesmith did regular check-ins to see how we’re doing on the search.

Codesmith was always very open and receptive. If I wanted to talk one-on-one to the Codesmith staff, they were very open to that as well.

How did your first technical interviews go for you?

I thought doing technical interviews was fun. It was a little nerve-racking at the time, but I always find that once I'm actually in the middle of the interview, talking about a programming problem or some technology or something about the company, that the fear goes away and I just start enjoying the conversation.

One of the things that was interesting about interviewing with several companies in a short timeframe was getting to talk to various people working in different environments. It was good to hear about the company cultures, and really get a sense for the type of environment I wanted to work in since I was so new to the tech world.

What have you been up to since graduating? Tell us about getting your first job!

I found the Codesmith alumni community to be really helpful and supportive in the job search. Now that Codesmith has been around for about 2 years, there’s a pretty significant alumni network. We have a very active alumni Slack channel and people are pretty frequently posting jobs on that saying, "Hey, my company is looking to hire a full stack engineer. Private message me if you're interested." That’s how I ended up getting my first job at MedCircle. I went for the interview and I really enjoyed the company and the team.

MedCircle is an online health education company in LA. It's a very small startup company – less than 10 people on the whole staff.

Were you using JavaScript and what you had learned at Codesmith in your first role or was there a learning curve?

I was using JavaScript at MedCircle, which is what I had learned at Codesmith, but there still was some learning curve. We were using a couple of technologies that I wasn't familiar with and there was already some established code before I joined. That's always a learning curve to become familiar with an existing system. I was working in JavaScript, React, and Redux on the front end, and Node.js, Express, and PostgreSQL on the back end. Those are the core stacks that Codesmith emphasizes in the curriculum, so it was a pretty cool opportunity to continue learning those.

I worked at MedCircle for about 10 months and got to build the team workflows from the ground up, which was pretty cool. About two weeks ago, I started a new job at Google in San Francisco.

Congrats! What are you now working on at Google?

My official title at Google is Web Solutions Engineer. I'm primarily working on internal software tools that the sales and marketing organization use to do their jobs better. It's pretty exciting because, at MedCircle I worked on a small, agile, flexible team. My team at Google is similarly small and flexible, but it's within the context of the Google organization, so I have access to all of these resources and incredible world-class software engineering.

How did you make the move from MedCircle to Google? What was that process like growing into your next job?

I actually interviewed with Google back in December 2016, during my first job search after I graduated from Codesmith and before I was hired by MedCircle. Evidently, if you interview and they don't hire you but still like you, then Google keeps your name on their short list. In August, I got a message from a recruiter at Google saying that they had a Web Solutions Engineer position open up and asked me if I'd be interested in applying for it.

How do you feel you've grown as a developer? Where do you feel you are in your learning experience?

No matter where I am in my career, I always want to push to learn and grow more. One of the things that Codesmith does really well, more than just emphasizing learning one particular technology stack, is that they emphasize learning how to be confident technical problem solvers and engineers. Even straight out of Codesmith, I was pretty confident in my ability to solve difficult software problems, even if I wasn't necessarily familiar with all of the technologies being used.

Now, having been in the industry for a year, it's given me a lot more depth of knowledge in the kinds of tools, best practices, and higher level problem-solving techniques that it takes to really write high-quality software that is robust, that lasts, and that does its job well.

I’m also growing in different contexts. Google is such a large company; in order to accomplish anything, I have to learn a lot about the infrastructure of the company as a whole. It’s been pretty exciting to see how software engineering can really work at a massive scale.

What's been the biggest challenge in your journey to becoming a software developer?

What’s most challenging about software engineering is also what’s most exciting: there’s basically an infinitely deep pool of things to learn. In order to really be able to perform at the highest levels, you need to be willing to put in the time and effort to keep learning, whether you're on the job or not.

I've put a lot of hours and energy into trying to improve my skills even outside of work hours. But as I said, there's always interesting problems to work on, always new technologies to learn, and always new products to imagine. Because with software, anything that you can imagine you can create as long as you're willing to stretch your imagination and embrace the possibilities.

Would you advise other bootcampers to go into a small startup first like you did?

I think it was the right decision for me, but it depends a lot on the person and on the company. What’s more important than the size of the company is really understanding the company's culture during that interview process. For me, I like having a lot of flexibility in what I work on and being able to work on different projects, so I knew that working at a small company like MedCircle would give me that. Being forced out of necessity to wear different hats really made me into a more well-rounded engineer. I’m more confident when I have to tackle problems in a variety of different domains.

For your first job after a bootcamp, choose a company that will bring out the best in you and a place where you can continue to learn at the same rate that you were learning while at bootcamp. That can really vary a lot from company to company whether it's small or big, so feel out their company culture and choose based on that.

You have a background in Math and Physics – is it true that you need to be “good at math” in order to be a great software engineer?

I took Codesmith’s Machine Learning class after I graduated, and that topic was exciting for me because machine learning does involve a lot of math. My background in math gave me a good foundation to learn more in that area.

However, you definitely don't need to have a background in math in order to be good at software engineering. In order to be a strong software engineer, you need to be a strong problem solver. Being good at math is just one possible way to acquire those problem-solving skills. My background in math has definitely helped me, but I don't think it's the only way to get the skills needed for software engineering.

When you look back at the last two years, do you think you would have been able to get to this point by self-teaching or going back to a traditional school? What kind of role did Codesmith play in your journey?

I honestly doubt that I would’ve been able to make it to where I am today this quickly if I had gone down a different path. If I had done a master’s degree, I probably would’ve gone back to school in the evenings and continued teaching full-time, which would’ve drawn out the process and not allowed me to focus all of my attention on learning as much as I could. That would have made the career transition a lot more arduous.

When you teach yourself, it's easy to end up stuck in your own bad habits because you don't know best practices and how to get to the next level. Learning within a community of other people who are passionate about software engineering means that you can all help each other. You can push your thinking to the next level and get unstuck when you hit a roadblock in your learning. You always feel like the work that you're putting in is reaping benefits, because you can see the growth day by day and week by week. That rapid growth is really what allowed me to reach my goals so soon after deciding to make the transition into software engineering.

What advice do you have for our readers who are considering a coding bootcamp like Codesmith?

Your time at a coding bootcamp is very short, so it's important to really squeeze the most out of the experience that you possibly can. It's not enough to just go to class during the day and then go home. It's really important to get to know your classmates and help each other grow. It's rare that you're surrounded by so many other people who are this passionate about the same goals.

Codesmith works so hard to build community, not only between current students but also between professionals by hosting meetups for local software developers. If you can really take advantage of that community, then that's where you'll see the most incredible growth in yourself.

About The Author

Liz is the cofounder of Course Report, the most complete resource for students considering a coding bootcamp. She loves breakfast tacos and spending time getting to know bootcamp alumni and founders all over the world. Check out Liz & Course Report on Twitter, Quora, and YouTube!

Everyone seems to be talking about Machine Learning. But what is Machine Learning, and do you really need a PhD in Math to master it? LA coding bootcampCodesmith has recently added a machine learning unit to their core program, and will soon launch an entire Machine Learning Bootcamp. We asked Codesmith’s Director of Machine Learning, Weylin Wagnon, where to spot machine learning in everyday products, why knowledge of machine learning is useful for software developers, and what the job market is like for developers with machine learning skills.

Our Takeaways:

Machine learning is a subset of AI, where a computer uses data and previous experiences to predict outcomes

Machine learning tasks include those which used to be done by humans such as fraud prediction and ad placement

Any task that is currently tedious for humans but still requires some creative decision-making is a target for machine learning software.

Codesmith is teaching machine learning with a code-first attitude, by introducing the concept to students as a new tool and a new library

Software engineers who know how to interact with machine learning systems are future-proofing their skills

What’s your experience in machine learning?

I run a cryptocurrency mining farm, where we manage mining for our clients who want to invest in cryptocurrency. It’s very complicated to set up and do at scale, so we streamline the machine learning process.

What is machine learning?

In general, Machine Learning is equal parts math, statistics, computer science, and voodoo. Machine learning is very different from the traditional software engineering or programming paradigm. In computer science, you provide a set of rules and input data to make some kind of output. In machine learning, you switch that around. You input data and input the answer you want to see, and the machine figures out the rules required to get that answer. It is a little bit magical, it’s pretty challenging, but with a clear approach to understanding machine learning, it is possible to do extraordinary things with these tools.

How is machine learning different from artificial intelligence?

The standard general purpose computer is not intelligent. Artificial intelligence gives the machine some automated behavior that we consider “smart.” Machine learning is a subset of Artificial Intelligence and requires learning from previous data. As humans, we use our previous memories to influence our future behavior; machines can learn from previous data to do the same thing. Overall, AI doesn’t imply data alone, whereas machine learning is all about data.

Where do we see Machine Learning in the real world? Can you give us some examples?

Anything that is currently tedious to do for people but requires some kind of creative decision making is a target for machine learning software. Most of the cutting edge machine learning projects are coming from large companies that have huge data sets. For example:

Shazam, which identifies songs, has been greatly enhanced through machine learning.

Speech systems like Siri, Google Home, and Alexa, are all good examples of machine learning ability.

Fraud reporting, which used to be done by humans perusing financial records, but is now accomplished with algorithms.

Some core business uses have been around for a while – 10 years ago, machine learning was used to predict which advertisement a user would click on, and we still use advanced neural networks for the same task today.

How can machine learning be useful for a software developer?

Machine learning exists in an application ecosystem (like an API). So even if a developer doesn’t want to touch the whole backend of an application, they are still going to have to interact with some of these systems. Having at least an understanding of the concepts behind machine learning can be valuable in the long run when designing systems.

Any exposure to machine learning is a really good mark on your resume. Having interacted with such machine intelligence systems shows that you have a strong competency with current and future technologies.

Why has Codesmith decided to add Machine Learning to the curriculum?

Google I/O’s last conference (and every main stage) was fully focused on AI and machine learning at all times – it’s a significant trend.

You need to be able to work with large amounts of data, be a smart programmer, understand neural networks, and have machine learning skills if you want to build the next generation of tech products. And if you don’t, you’ll be left behind over the next 10 to 15 years. It’s hard to observe the future of jobs and not be scared of how machine learning is taking over; I think the best way to stem that tide is to get into the field yourself.

Tell us about the new machine learning unit at Codesmith and how you came up with the course.

We are now offering an entire unit within Codesmith’s core software engineering residency, plus a six-week stand-alone course for alumni and experienced coders. I just finished teaching the unit. It’s not a complete course, but it does give students all the tools they need to go forward in machine learning. We ran a beta-version of our six-week course for alumni, got a lot of feedback, and are iterating right now for our public course. It’s exciting to push software engineers on the right path. Machine learning is something that will be hard to avoid in the future so it’s really valuable to get into the space right now.

I spent a long time researching before writing the curriculum. I paired up with Kush Kumar, part of the USC Machine Learning Department, who is a stellar expert in the field. Combining his expertise with my teaching background, we forged the content together.

Can you really teach machine learning at a coding bootcamp? How do you fit such a vast topic into a short course?

We teach machine learning in the last quarter at Codesmith, so that students have the most experience and can gain the most from it. As we go through Codesmith, the pace of students’ comprehension accelerates, so they get used to picking up new information fast.

The core Codesmith unit is focused on teaching students about general machine learning ideas, providing a framework to think about machine learning, and defining terms that we’ll see a lot. We are focused on coding best practices first. Then, we’re fitting machine learning into the curriculum as a new tool and a new library, and not as a fundamentally alien concept.

We do a deep dive into re-engineering some machine learning algorithms so we can see it’s not just magic. But on this level, you don’t have to engineer everything yourself. We teach libraries like Pandas to enact a lot of complex behavior very quickly. The program is mainly project focused as we go through, and we also practice pair programming.

Codesmith’s 12-week program focuses on full-stack JavaScript. What programming languages or technologies do you teach for machine learning?

There are three main languages used for Machine Learning – Python, R, and MATLAB. We teach JavaScript mainly at Codesmith, but we’re really teaching programming as a whole (which is somewhat language agnostic). For Machine Learning, we teach Python. There are so many libraries which stack on top of each other – Matplotlib is for graphing, Pandas is for in-memory data representations, and Numpy is for matrix calculations. Then we go into Scikit Learn, which is a powerful machine learning library built on Numpy.

Students also learn some DevOps, neural networks, and Tensorflow. By the end of the unit, they’ll have covered the vast majority of the machine learning field and will be able to autonomously create projects.

What is the job demand like for machine learning skills?

In LA, job listings mentioning machine learning often offer salaries 10% to 30% higher than regular software engineering roles. The goal of our program is not to produce data scientists, data analysts, or data engineers – we’re aiming to graduate engineers who can build advanced programming products and meet the needs of a “machine learning software engineer” job listing. Companies are getting very competitive as the demand for machine learning engineers grows faster than the supply. The main source of machine learning talent comes from master’s degree or PhD programs, so it’s a challenge for companies to find enough engineers to rapidly prototype machine learning products. In addition to being in great demand, machine learning skills are a great accent to any software engineering role.

Is there anything you’ve had to leave out of the Codesmith machine learning curriculum?

We don’t cover neural network libraries in our Codesmith unit, but we can provide resources for students who are interested in learning more, and we highly encourage alumni to take the full machine learning course.

We always hear that you don’t have to be a math whiz to be a good programmer, but do you need math skills to do machine learning?

In the machine learning unit, we don’t focus a lot on math. People get the idea that machine learning is only about math because of Andrew Ng’s popular Machine Learning course from Stanford, which is all focused on the calculus derivation of different algorithms, and how to implement them. But that knowledge is not required to build machine learning projects – most of it is already wrapped up in libraries. So your math ability doesn’t impact your ability to implement machine learning systems.

However, at some point in your career, you may want to develop new machine learning processes, and then that math and algorithms research will help you. But in general, it’s not as big of a requirement as people think.

What’s an example of the sort of machine learning projects that students would work on at Codesmith?

At Codesmith, we mainly focus on portfolio projects. Having a significant portfolio of work is so important to getting hired in machine learning. Students work on projects which involve making graphs that convey information, getting insights from data, and then presenting the insights in a way that’s understandable for less technical people.

Who is teaching this new unit? How will you train your instructors to teach this new machine learning unit? Or will you hire new instructors?

So far I’ve been the sole instructor along with our advisory member Kushaan. I am hoping to continue contributing as long as I am able, plus we have some super talented engineers who have been studying machine learning on their own and have attended all of our machine learning courses. We like to take a multifaceted approach – we have really talented teachers, engineers, and people with math backgrounds, and it’s through all of us working together that we can make it work. It’s a community approach.

How often does the Codesmith team update or add new units to the curriculum like this?

We reevaluate the curriculum after every graduating class and talk about whether topics are still relevant, and whether we can improve. We add content often, like new lectures, or individual focuses, but rarely whole units. So this is exciting!

Can students in both LA and NYC campuses learn machine learning?

So far, we’ve only taught machine learning at the LA campus. Our first NYC cohort starts in two weeks, and we hope to also offer machine learning there eventually. Stay tuned for our separate machine learning course, which we are hoping to launch in the near future.

Are there resources or meetups you recommend for machine learning beginners?

The best machine learning resource for beginners is a YouTube channel called Welch Labs. He’s a fantastic teacher and makes the subject really dynamic. You can learn about the field and the core concepts behind it, without requiring advanced math.

There are also plenty of online courses and interactive online portals. I don’t particularly like those, but some people benefit from them as an introduction to concepts. Those online courses can make you feel like you’ve accomplished and learned a lot, but you have no autonomy, and having to define a task for yourself afterward can be really challenging. I think an interactive course where you build projects is the best option.

About The Author

Imogen is a writer and content producer who loves writing about technology and education. Her background is in journalism, writing for newspapers and news websites. She grew up in England, Dubai and New Zealand, and now lives in Brooklyn, NY.

Are you preparing to apply for or start a coding bootcamp? Need to brush up on your coding skills and arrive well-prepared and ahead of the game? Then this guide is for you. We have gathered free and paid resources from around the internet, and from coding bootcamps themselves, which will teach you the basic fundamentals of languages like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript – essential knowledge for all aspiring software developers.

It’s that time again! A time to reflect on the year that is coming to an end, and a time to plan for what the New Year has in store. While it may be easy to beat yourself up about certain unmet goals, one thing is for sure: you made it through another year! And we bet you accomplished more than you think. Maybe you finished your first Codecademy class, made a 30-day Github commit streak, or maybe you even took a bootcamp prep course – so let’s cheers to that! But if learning to code is still at the top of your Resolutions List, then taking the plunge into a coding bootcamp may be the best way to officially cross it off. We’ve compiled a list of stellar schools offering full-time, part-time, and online courses with start dates at the top of the year. Five of these bootcamps even have scholarship money ready to dish out to aspiring coders like you.

Welcome to the October 2016 Course Report monthly coding bootcamp news roundup! Each month, we look at all the happenings from the coding bootcamp world from new bootcamps to fundraising announcements, to interesting trends. This month we are also covering our Women In Tech Snapchat takeover! Other trends include new developments in the industry, new outcomes reports and why those are important, new investments in bootcamps, and of course, new coding schools and campuses.

Will Sentance is co-founder and CEO at Codesmith, a full stack coding bootcamp in Los Angeles that launched in fall 2015. Before that, he worked as a software engineer, and started his own e-commerce platform. Will says learning to code changed his life, and he wanted to pass that experience and knowledge on to others. Will explains the Codesmith curriculum, what Codesmith looks for in students, and how to prepare for the interview. Also find out what sort of jobs Codesmith graduates are getting!

Q&A

What were you doing before you decided to found Codesmith bootcamp?

I worked as a Software Engineer at Gem, which is now a Hiring Partner at Codesmith. Before that, I was CEO and cofounder of Ownly, a social e-commerce platform I started while studying at Harvard. Gem is doing some really transformative work in the Bitcoin and Blockchain space for developers– we were finalists at Techcrunch Disrupt. It's a model for Codesmith graduates– exceptional technical talent yet great communicators. I loved the team there.

Why did you want to start a Los Angeles coding bootcamp?

Coding changed my life and the lives of significant people around me. It gave us the ability to build the ideas we dreamt up. People learn to code for many reasons from aspiring doctors who want to change medical document processes to people who love solving puzzles. I love getting to see all of these backgrounds come together to support each other in the program.

Many coding bootcamps these days have been founded by graduates of other bootcamps. After attending Hack Reactor, what did you think was important to keep about the bootcamp model and what did you iterate on?

Codesmith and Hack Reactor have a shared mission of transforming people's opportunities through coding. I have a lot of love and respect for the programs like Hack Reactor and Fullstack Academy that are doing this really well. Like the other rigorous programs, we focus on computer science, a deep understanding of JavaScript, and on problem-solving. The outcomes are similar– the average salary of Codesmith is $103.5k and of Hack Reactor $104k, and both have 90-95% employment rates after four months.

There are distinct differences. At the end of the Codesmith program, we have our hiring event where companies from across the US come on site to interview graduates. This is very distinctive and is part of why the graduate outcomes are so strong.

The community of Codesmith Los Angeles is also extraordinarily tight-knit, with cohorts of 15 (two running at the same time) selected from over 300 applications. It plays out in the average leaving time each night– most people leave the campus close to midnight, six days a week!

CodeSmith is a full stack JavaScript bootcamp. How did you design the curriculum at Codesmith?

We teach a lot of the fundamentals of JavaScript– going under the hood on how JavaScript really works. We believe this gives grads a huge edge. Dan Carr, who was a lead engineer at Adobe for 15 years and a lead in their education team too, teaches much of the core curriculum. He was influential in designing a curriculum that features both the latest technologies (React, Redux) and timeless features (software design patterns, team best practices.)

What is the admission process like?

We look for people who have great potential in problem-solving and communication (both technical and non-technical). Before the admissions interview, there's a basic coding challenge online and special harder challenges given out at many of the free classes each week. If you complete these harder challenges, you're guaranteed to get an interview.

Your first interview looks at your interests and commitment to supporting others. This is followed by a technical interview. There you will work through various coding challenges, and we work with you as you navigate through. It's like a mini session of Codesmith.

What do students learn in the ‘JavaScript the Hard Parts’ Codesmith meetup?

At JavaScript the Hard Parts, the free community classes, attendees work with me or another instructor to go deep into a JavaScript topic like execution context and closure. I'll call on participants to give them practice talking through their code. It's mixed in with plenty of pair-programming which is a very effective way of learning, and it creates a great community even before people are admitted to the program.

How are graduates performing in the real world?

The graduates are doing remarkably well. They are doing everything from developing an organic grocery marketplace at Thrive Market, to a life-changing charitable platform at Omaze, to supporting 20m+ football fans at the NFL. By the end of the year, over 200 Codesmith grads will be out building great things with code. Graduates receive offers averaging $103.5k, with 92% hired within in 4 months– mostly in LA and SF. Companies like Whisper, Hautelook and others have hired multiple grads– that's a wonderful sign of the impact the grads are having at each company.

What types of final projects have Codesmith students built?

Students build a portfolio of four projects while at Codesmith– the final being the 'Production Project'. Students have built applications for clients including the Los Angeles School District and the University of Michigan Hospital.

Some of the most impactful projects have been tools and libraries for developers like React Monocle and React-D3 library. These developer projects have trended on Github and Hacker News and are now being used by thousands of developers including Hiring Partners of Codesmith.

Why is it so important for students to actually launch their apps in the real world?

Launching a project gives students production experience– handling user issues, bugs and requiring students to work as professional developers as opposed to working on artificial 'bootcamp' projects. It really makes the graduates stand out– it's a big part of why 95% of graduates join companies as mid-level developers or above.

What is the current class makeup in terms of gender, race, background? Is it diverse?

Students come from a wide range of backgrounds. While many have STEM experience or even Computer Science degrees, there are also students who were creative writing majors or didn't attend college at all!

We have scholarships for students from backgrounds that are underrepresented in technology, and we work closely with Girl Develop it and Women Who Code on free classes and curriculum to help show people that they can aspire to Codesmith whatever their background. But we have to do more.

How do you attract a diverse applicant pool to Codesmith– is that important to you as a founder?

It is crucial. In the coming years, more and more leaders of firms will come from a software engineering background. We have an opportunity to give people from all backgrounds that path to leadership. In November, we are starting a new Women in Technology Speaker Series and new scholarships in partnership with leading technology firms– to further attract a diversity of applications.

How should new students approach Codesmith?

We have high expectations for applicants in their interviews, but we also have an extraordinarily supportive community which is ready to help you reach your potential and prepare for your application. Join us for any of the classes in person or online– whether or not you end up at Codesmith, you'll find your partners in crime to code with.

How does the CodeSmith experience prepare students for job interviews?

Companies expect a lot from Codesmith graduates. They're going to be offering six-figure salaries so they expect people who are capable of solving problems without too much supervision.

The program is designed to prepare graduates for exactly these demands. To do this, the curriculum pushes you to perform at a level that impresses seasoned engineers, both through professional engineering best practices, and a structure that is heavily project-based. This makes you ready for deep technical discussions and challenges at interviews

The second half of the program moves into dedicated job-search preparation– through mock interviews, resume and online profile development– all culminating in Hiring Day.

Tell us about your employer partnerships.

We have a network of over 250 Hiring Partners who are required to have a strong engineering culture and who hire mid-level and above developers. A select group joins onsite for Hiring Day for multiple streamlined interviews. Nearly half of our graduates get offers from companies they met at Hiring Day.

Have you been through the regulatory process with the BPPE in California? Is it important that you become accredited?

The regulatory system is outdated for sure but efforts are being made to develop a new approach. In the meantime, we have begun the process of getting officially accredited by BPPE

What’s next for Codesmith? Are there plans to expand geographically, or to expand the curriculum?

I believe we've barely scratched the surface of the number of people we can bring the ability to code to, as well as the number of organizations and industries that can be transformed by engineers who can lead. I want our alumni to continue to develop as leaders in tech after they graduate. So we're working on new ways to give our alumni all the support they need to make that happen.

About The Author

Liz is the cofounder of Course Report, the most complete resource for students considering a coding bootcamp. She loves breakfast tacos and spending time getting to know bootcamp alumni and founders all over the world. Check out Liz & Course Report on Twitter, Quora, and YouTube!

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